Princes of Moonlight
by LupusLover
Summary: "If I had known what the future held, I would've gone back to change it. I would've gone back and stopped her from causing this much grief. I wish I could have thrown myself in your places. If only it was me who was the monster..." Rating is subject to change.
1. Chapter 1

I bolt up in my bed, beads of sweat causing my hair to stick to my forehead. My heart pounds frantically in my ears and my chest. I suck in a gulp of air and slowly breathe it out. _Calm down, it was just a bad dream._ Rubbing my eyes and yawning, my heart beat goes back to normal. I look at the clock on my night stand, seeing it reads 8:23. My gaze travels around my room, eyes resting on nothing in particular. While the sun seeps in through the blinds, the birds outside chirp cheerfully as they stretch their wings. My eyes drift over to the framed photo of STARISH on my night stand. I smile at the memory of the concert and how I felt at the time. Though the concert was just a few months ago, every moment of it was fresh in my mind.

Looking down at the brightly colored bed sheets, I notice the few drops of sweat on them. Frowning, I furrow my brow. _What was that dream about?_ I concentrate the best I can on it, but the memory of it is blurred and unreadable. _Was I… In danger of something?_ Someone suddenly knocks on the door and I jolt from being suddenly pulled back to reality. "Uh, yes?"

Otoya's voice comes through it. "Haruka, it's time to get up! Masato and Ren made breakfast!"

"Ok, I'll be there in a moment!" Quickly getting out of bed, I straighten out the sheets before putting on a pastel skirt and white blouse. I run to the sink in my bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. Satisfied, I open the door to see Otoya standing there with a dazzling smile. He was a person of moderate height with bright red hair and eyes. He seems like he's the 'big brother' type of person. "Thanks for waking me up!"

"No problem. I was on my way to breakfast anyway and thought I should see if you were getting ready." His smile widens. "We should hurry before the food gets too cold."

"Okay."

The walk to the dining room was relatively quiet; Otoya and I mostly made idle talk of what to get for breakfast and what jobs were coming up. Thankfully, he never asked how I slept last night. If I told him of the nightmare I had last night, he would be worrying over me a dream I couldn't even remember. We round a corner into another hall, a faint smell of lemon cleaner drifts through it as rays of sunlight flow through the windows. _Mornings are always beautiful here._ I smile fondly.

As soon as we walk into the dining area, a wave of baked goods and other delicious smells hit us. We smile at the comforting scent and briskly walk towards the others at the table. We both grab a cup of tea and our food; fruit salad for me and French toast for Otoya. I notice Natsuki, a tall blonde with wavy hair and green eyes, talking to Syo, a shorter blonde with blue eyes and sporting a fedora, and attempting to feed him a muffin he made with Syo trying to tell him he had enough on his plate.

Masato and Tokiya were both discussing and pointing at something in a magazine. Both of them were tall with blue hair and stoic expressions, though Tokiya's hair was spiky compared to Masato's hime cut. Cecil, a foreigner to this country with tan skin and dark brown hair, asked a question occasionally about the article while Ren, another tall blonde who usually has a smirk on his face, didn't seem too interested in the conversations around him and was eating his food in silence. As we walk closer to the others, they notice us and say their "good mornings".

We respond with a smile and say, "Morning everyone!"

"How'd you guys sleep last night?" Syo asked after a long sip of his juice.

I think back to the nightmare from earlier. I wish I knew what scared me so much, but I'm sure it isn't anything worth bringing up. "I slept just fine." I respond.

"I slept so-so. There was a ruckus outside and it woke me up." Otoya takes his seat and immediately starts eating.

"I didn't hear a ruckus last night." Tokiya looks over. "You sure you weren't hearing things?"

Otoya takes a moment to drink his tea before saying, "It was the middle of the night. You and Reiji were both sound asleep. I guess I'm just a light sleeper or something." He shrugs and takes a bite of his French toast.

"Alright, enough chit-chat, you all have some work to do today." Camus walks in, a series of papers in hand. "These are work offers. You'll be doing them for today. Let's see…" He shuffles through the paper stacks for a moment before saying, "Natsuki and Ren, you both have photo shoots. Otoya and Cecil, the broadcast you guys were on before asked you for another episode. Syo, Tokiya, Masato; you guys have interviews for a couple of magazines. Is that clear?" A collective 'Yes' goes around. "Good, hurry and finish breakfast." Everyone finishes the last of their breakfast before grabbing their plates and taking them to the kitchen.

I take my time with the last of my food, urging the others that I can take care of the cleanup and that they should all head to work. As soon as they leave, I take the last bite of my fruit salad then start grabbing the dishes lying around. Carefully I stack them up and take them to the sink before placing them in. I start washing the various dishes carefully before drying them and putting them away. Before I leave, I do a quick check around for anything out of place. I bound out of the kitchen and make a turn down the hallway. My pace slows as I take my time walking down the halls towards my room. I notice the brightly decorated walls, intricate patterns sewn into them through the eyes of an artist. Glancing out one of the windows I pause.

_Wow, it looks beautiful outside today!_ I quickly head down the hall, around the corner, and down the front steps. _It feels great!_ I smile up at the sky and sun._ It seems like a good day to go for a walk._ I slow down to a walk and continue down the side of the building. When I was younger, I used to take walks on nice days with my grandma. We'd play I-spy games and point out the flowers and clouds. Grandma would tell me about when she was younger and she'd go on walks with her grandmother too. The white fluffy wisps in the sky catch my attention. _That one looks like a music note._ A smile forms on my lips as I stop by a flower bush and look at the colorful designs in each petal. They reminded me of the flowers we would see on our walks. I sniff one of them before getting up and continuing my walk. A single thought crosses my mind. Smiling, I rush back to my room to grab a pencil and music paper. After grabbing them, I walk down to the lake and sit on one of the benches near the water. Pausing for a moment I hurriedly write something down.

* * *

Blinking, I notice the light around me seemed more orange then before. I look up to see the sun setting in the east. "Huh? But it was just barely noon a few minutes ago!" Glancing to my left, I see a stack of several music sheets and even a few crumpled up ones. "Eh?! Did I spend the whole day outside writing?" I look at the silver watch on my wrist to see that dinner starts in just ten minutes. Scrapping together the pieces of papers, I hug them close to my chest. I was about to start running to my room to put my stuff away, but I notice something on the ground, just under the shrubbery. Stopping, I stare for a moment before slowly crouch down to the fresh earth. Brushing a few of the leaves out of the way, I see a large indent there in the ground. It's most likely a footprint, but it looked like someone was shuffling their feet for a long period of time, so it appeared 'smudged' in a way. I place my hand down on the ground near it for a size comparison, and see it's slightly bigger than my palm. "That's strange." It looked like it was a relatively new print; the edges around it weren't even dry yet. I would have thought more about it before realizing that I'm already late for dinner and hastily stand back up again, rushing to my room to put the papers away and to clean up a bit before dinner.

When I get to the dining room, Cecil, Otoya, and Tokiya are already there. "Good afternoon!" I smile cheerily.

"Hey Haruka, good afternoon to you to!" Otoya say to me. "How was your day?"

"To be honest I spent the whole day writing new songs." I blush from embarrassment.

"Really? I look forward to hearing what new songs you've created." Tokiya smiles at me. "The others are running a bit late, but they'll be here soon enough." Just as he said that, Natsuki comes in dragging Syo behind him, Syo attempting to put up a fight but failing.

"We're here! Just in time, right Syo?" Natsuki smiles down at Syo.

"You didn't have to drag me here! I'm perfectly capable of walking on my own!" Syo glares up at Natsuki, but the look doesn't seem to faze him.

We start placing dishes on the tables, one table where STARISH usually sits and another table where QUARTET NIGHT sits. As we finish placing the last of the dishes, the rest of QUARTET NIGHT show up along with Masato. Noting that we were missing someone, I ask. "Is Ren not home yet?"

"He must be late at work." Tokiya replied, setting down the last of the plates. "Natsuki, any idea where he might be?"

"He was still working when I finished. He told me to go ahead." Natsuki replied an assortment of napkins in hand. "Apparently the magazine wanted to take plenty of good photos, so they asked if he could stay a bit longer than usual." Tokiya nods his head in acknowledgement before placing down the last of the silverware.

We all grab our spots at the table and grab our food. The conversation doesn't go in any particular direction, and mostly stays on the subject of the work we did today. Everything went smoothly at the interviews and the photo shoots, and the variety show was another hit. Nothing out of the usual happened. I glance at my watch to see that Ren is already 15 minutes late. It shouldn't be a surprise that Ren is late, as he often is, but he's usually only late by a few minutes.

After about 10 more minutes, Ren strolls into the dining room, a slight frown on his face.

"Hey Ren," Syo looks up. "You were later than usual today." Ren doesn't respond to him. "Hey, Ren!"

Ren looks up in surprise but quickly replaces it with a grin. "Huh? Oh, sorry. Work held me up." He quickly grabs his seat, but doesn't put much food on his plate. At this point all eyes are on Ren.

"You okay?" Otoya ask him.

"Yea, just a long day at work. No need to worry." He replies, a smirk on his face. He looks in my direction, "Especially not you, Lady."

_Huh? Did I really look that worried? _A faint blush starts to rise in my cheeks and the others chuckle at it.

Dinner was finished rather quickly, and after a few words we all say our goodnights. I stayed behind again to clean up the mess, Otoya staying to help as well.

"You know, I didn't expect Ren to come so late this evening." Otoya ask me, hands around a soap covered dish. Drops of water were on his arm and clothes, though he didn't seem to be bothered by them.

"Yea, he was a bit late wasn't he?" I place the dish I'm holding in the cabinet before picking up another and drying it off.

"I don't know if you saw, but he was rubbing his arm a lot during the last quarter of dinner." We look at each other, Otoya's face marked with a fake smile.

"Do you think he might have gotten hurt in some way?" I ask.

"Well, no. Ren is a strong person. He was punched by Masato once and seemed just fine." He hands me the last of the dishes and drains the sink. The drain sputters and the last drops of water go down. "Still, it's like us to worry over our friends."

* * *

I let out a yawn, feet partially dragging. "I'm so tired. I hope I said goodnight to everyone." The lights of the hall have been dimmed down. My pace increases, attempting to avoid being left in the dark, until a muffled voice flows into my ear.

"You lucky Ranmaru hasn't noticed yet." _Huh? That's Masato's voice._

"Are you worried about me?" _And _Ren_?_

I turn towards the door of Ren and Masato's room. Taking a step closer, I slowly press my ear to the door.

"...He'll find out eventually you know."

"Eventually isn't anytime soon. I'll handle the situation myself. Besides I wouldn't want the little lamb to worry about me." A hiss of pain comes from Ren. My heart seems to beat a little faster in my chest. _Is Ren hurt or something?_

"You really should do something about it though. It looks like a nasty scratch." Someone opens a cabinet and then the tear of what I guess is a bandage wrap echoes off the walls.

"Don't worry about me, just a scratch. Like I said, can't have people worrying over me."

"Hm. Try not to get blood on anything, Ranmaru will notice for sure if you do."

I step back from the door, hand over my heart. Quietly, I stroll to my room. _Ren_ _is definitely hurt, but he's strong too. He's fine, right?_

* * *

**It's been a while since I've posted anything. Feels a bit strange to be making fanfiction again. As a quick note, (For some reason I felt the need to post this at 3 in the morning. Terrible idea.) Originally this story was meant to be the cheesiest fanfiction in history but somewhere along the line stopped being that. Rereading it now, it seems a bit slow, but I guarantee it will pick up the pace and be an entertaining story.**


	2. Chapter 2

The bed creaks as I suddenly bolt up in it. Sweat sticks to my skin in an uncomfortable way, but I ignore it. _That was terrible. Why do these nightmares keep happening?_ I try to focus, to remember what the dream was about, but the final wisp of it slipped through my grasp. Sighing, I look around my moonlit room.

It's been a week since I overheard the conversation between Masato and Ren. I've been paying closer attention to Ren, in case he showed any sign that he wasn't okay, but he seems just fine. He looked uncomfortable during dinner last night, but when I asked him about it he said, "It's just a little warm in here, My Lady. You really need to stop worrying over me." I stand up and wander out onto the balcony.

"Wow, the sky is so clear tonight!" _It won't hurt to just stay out here a little bit before going back to bed._ Placing my hands on the smooth stone of the railing, I feel the cold seep into my palm, as I stare at the moon and the rabbit hidden inside. I sigh, "The fresh air is so nice." It doesn't compare to the air at grandma's house, but much it's better than the city. For a moment, the night seemed at peace, until something rustles in the bushes below.

I yelp before looking down below the balcony. _Eh? Something in the bushes?_ I try to focus my vision on the ground below, the moonlight helping me. I'm not kept waiting for long before a shadow dashes out and runs to the far side of the building. Gasping, I take a few steps away from the railing. The shadow dashes around a corner and disappears from sight. It looked to be low to the ground so it was most likely an animal and thankfully not a burglar. A sigh of relief escapes my mouth. Still, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, we are close to a small acre of woods, and I've seen plenty of deer and a few stray cats that have come close to the building. A yawn escapes my mouth. _I think that's enough stargazing._ Closing the balcony doors, I move to lie back down in my bed, hoping the nightmare doesn't appear again as my eyes slowly close shut.

* * *

I wake up slowly, blinking the last of the sleep from my eyes. The birds were chirping loudly as the sunlight flowed into the room. Rolling over to get on my feet, I stretch out my muscles before moving to the closet to pick out my clothes for the day. _I'll try to help with the breakfast this morning._ I get dressed and clean before heading down the hall towards the kitchen. In the kitchen, I find Masato and Natsuki already cooking. They look up and give their usual cheerful 'good mornings'.

"Good morning! I was wondering if I could help with breakfast."

"Actually," Masato hands me a bowl of strawberries. "If you could please cut away the leaves, we would be grateful. I nod my head and pick up a small knife. Carefully, I cut away the green on each one before placing them in the sink and washing them off.

"Is Ren not helping with the cooking today?" I ask.

Masato shakes his head. "He wasn't in his bed this morning. I thought he might be in the kitchen but he wasn't here."

"That's strange, perhaps he went for a walk, or he could be in his room right now." Natsuki smiles at him. "I'll be sure to set a dish aside for him." Masato nods and they return back to cooking.

"I'll go set the table then." Grabbing the plates and silverware, I leave the kitchen.

* * *

"Sorry I'm late. I overslept." Ren walks to the table and takes his seat. His hair was messed up, a surprising look to see on him, and he looked dead tired.

"Long work day again, huh?" Syo ask, sipping the water in his glass.

"Yea…" Ren takes a bite of the bagel on his plate and chews it slowly. "Might be catching a fever, work is not usually hard for me."

"We all have those days; I don't think you'd be an exception." Tokiya looks up from the magazine in his hand. "You do look a bit under the weather though."

"I'm sure I'll bounce back quickly." Ren grins and takes another bite of his bagel. I look over to Masato. _I thought he wasn't in his bed this morning?_ I wait for Masato to say something but he only gives Ren a side glance. Ren notices and responds with a side glance of his own...

I speak up, the awkward glances stop. "You have the day off today right, Ren?"

"You're right, Lady. And I hear you have a meeting to attend. I wish I could stay with you for the day, but it seems our schedules won't allow such a wonderful evening." Ren smirks at me before winking.

"Lucky for you," Masato stands up while grabbing his plate. "Aijima and I have the day off as well."

I pick up my plate as well, and offer to clean again, but Natsuki and Syo stop me and say that they can do it this time. After everyone has cleared from the dining room and went their separate ways, I decide to go to my room to grab a few things for the meeting.

"Why did you lie at breakfast?" _Masato again?_

"It's none of your concern." _Ren._ Turning to the door of their shared room, I take a hesitant step forward._ No, I shouldn't eavesdrop on them and I have a meeting to get to._ But my body refused to listen and leaned in closer to the wooden door.

"Ren, I've known you long enough to know when something is wrong and when you're lying. You haven't been yourself this whole week. In fact, you've already sneaked out five nights in a row only to come back late in the morning and looking like you've been dragged through Hell."

"Weren't you listening to me? I've told you everything is fine." _Ren's voice has an edge to it._

"I'm just trying to make sure you're not getting into anythi-..."

"I told you, I'm fine!" Ren shouts at him, anger seeping from every word. Silence fills the room for a second before I hear the creaking of a bed.

"I'm sorry. I… I didn't mean to snap at you. It was wrong of me to do that." Ren sighs.

"It's fine. I shouldn't have pried you too much for answers." The bed creaks again and footsteps cross the room. I don't hear anyone speak for a second and I was about to walk away when Masato says something.

"But, may I ask you a question."

"..."

"It's nothing too prying, just a simple question."

"...Ok"

"Were you outside _all_ night?" I notice their voices have gotten quieter and I strain my hearing to listen.

"...Yes…"

"That's good enough for me." I hear footsteps come closer to the door and I try to get away quickly and quietly, but Ren speaks up again.

"One more thing, before you go." All anger in his voice gone and replaced with a serious tone.

"Yes?"

"No matter what, do _not_ go outside tonight. Under no circumstances should you go outside."

"Is there a reason as to why?"

"So that you'll stay safe..."

I hear nothing after that, because I was already down the hall and running towards my room. _Something isn't right here today, but I can't dwell on the matter now._

* * *

Orange rays of sunlight fell onto the smooth pavement as I make my way to the entrance of the Master Course rooms. The thought of going up to Ren and Masato about their conversation crossed my mind, but if I were to ask them about it, they would quickly realize I was eavesdropping on them. _Curiosity killed the cat I suppose._ I walk up the stairs and down the hall to my room. As my heels echo in the hall, my thoughts can't help but drift to the conversation the two idols had. _Ren hardly ever snaps at anyone. And he would never snap at a childhood friend like that._ When I opened the door of my room, I was immediately hugged. Looking up, I see Cecil's smiling face.

"Cecil?! What are you doing here?" I blush furiously and turn my face away.

"I've been waiting Haruka! I was hoping you and I would be able to talk before dinner." Cecil's smile widens and I attempt to move away from his grasp.

"How long have you been here?! And how did you get here?" I finally free myself and take a step back.

He gestures to the slightly open balcony doors before moving to close them. "I actually just got here." He turns to me as his smile softens. "So, about that talk."

"Of course, just let me put my stuff down." I remove the paper work from my bag before placing the bag on the floor next to my desk. "What did you have to speak with me so urgently about?"

Cecil frowns and furrows his brows. He opens his mouth to say something but closes it again and sits down on my bed. He raises his hands to his mouth, clearly deep in thought. "I… I think something is… _off_ with Ren… I mean, he seems a bit different now."

I freeze. There's no way Cecil knows what's going on with him. Cecil doesn't seem like the one to eavesdrop, but he could still find out in a different way right? "W-what do you mean?"

"Something… Something is different with Ren's heart." He looks down sorrowfully and runs a hand through his hair. "It's like something's happened to him. He seems like a completely different person."

"How do you know so much about this?" I try to avoid Cecil's gaze, so that he won't be able to learn anything, but I couldn't help but look at him. _Cecil might have the answer to what's going on._

"Just like before, his eyes tell me everything. That's how I know something isn't right with him. There's something missing from his eyes and it worries me to see such a drastic change in them." He lies down and glares at the ceiling before he crosses his arms behind his head.

"I don't think we need to worry too much about him right? R-Ren can take care of himself." I take a step closer to him. "Even if there was a problem, I'm sure he can handle it right?"

Cecil sits up and looks me straight in the eyes. I debate whether or not to look away, but before I can decide, he wraps his arms around my waist and stares more intensely at me. "Do you know anything Haruka?"

I gulp audibly and the stare starts to look more like a glare. "I-I honestly don't know what's going on." A blush of embarrassment starts to rise up in my cheeks. But then, Cecil's smile softens.

"I'm sorry for frightening you. You don't know what's going on and I shouldn't have bothered you by asking." He lets go of my waist and gets up off my bed. "I'll see you at dinner Haruka!" He smiles and leaves through the door, closing it quietly.

A heavy sigh escapes my lips. _I was worried something might have happened. Maybe I'll talk to him about it later._

* * *

"Is Ren not eating tonight?" I stare at Masato, a glass of water in his hand.

"No, he said he wasn't hungry." He replies coolly.

"You know something seems off with him." Otoya speaks up. "Should we check on him after dinner? He could be getting sick."

Before I can say anything, Masato slightly raises his hand. "I'll check on him myself." We all nod at the suggestion. Masato grabs his plate and starts walking towards the kitchen.

As he leaves, Otoya shouts to him. "Be sure to tell us what's wrong with him." Masato nods and closes the huge doors behind him.

* * *

I really shouldn't be here, body pressed against the door, willing myself to listen more closely. I should be going to bed and getting a good night sleep. But no matter how many times I tell myself no, my body refuses to listen to my brain. I press my ear closer to the door.

"Not hungry, huh?" _Masato._

"I don't have much of an appetite right now..." Ren's voice seems more serious, the playful tone he usually has was gone. I hear the slight sound of a dart hitting a board.

"Hm…" The room fills with silence. I wait and wait but not another sound comes from within.

Until Ren ask, "You're still wondering about me aren't you?"

"... I need an excuse to give the others when they ask tomorrow. They're worried too you know."

"Just tell them I'm not feeling well. That I'm catching a cold or something." Another dart hits the board.

"That doesn't change the fact that they're still worried… You're going out tonight right, anywhere specific?"

"Yes I am. And I'm not going very far. Just a short walk is all. And remember what I said earlier." I hear footsteps come closer to the door. I start to back away slowly.

"Yes, I know. 'No going outside under any circumstances.' I understand." Masato sighs and the door knob starts to turn. I quickly speed down a nearby hallway and hide behind the corner. I peek out around the corner and see Ren standing in the doorway.

"I'll tell you everything as soon as I'm able." He waves and closes the door before going down the opposite end of the hallway, clearly rushing to get somewhere. A few moments of silence go by as Ren rounds a corner out of sight. I was going to head to my room but then the door to Masato and Ren's opens again. The blue haired idol steps out slowly and walks down the same way as Ren. He stops and quickly turns around, and I just barely escape his gaze as I dart upstairs to my room.

As soon as I'm inside, I close the door and lean against it with all my weight. There's no use in talking to either of them, they'll find out I was spying and our friendship would be in jeopardy. The only thing I can do is wait for them to tell me.

* * *

**Thanks to all the people who read and reviewed the story, it means a lot to me! I realize it's only been a few days after the first chapter, but I've been so excited over this story that I had to update it. I hope you all look forward to the next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Ren seems better today." I look up from my soap covered hands to see Cecil smiling down at me. He takes one of the clean dishes next to me and, grabbing a towel, dries it off. "When I saw him this morning, it looks like something has changed in his heart once again. He's not the same as before, but he seems so relieved. Or perhaps he was just happy about something." He pauses and hums softly. "Although, Ren did seem slightly annoyed of Masato." He places the dish on the shelf in the cabinet.

"That's wonderful news! I was starting to get even more worried." Sighing happily, I grab the last dish in the sink. A few seconds of bliss fill the room as I scrub away the last of the food.

"Well…" I look up at Cecil to see a distant look in his eyes, clearly lost in his own mind. He seems to frown at his thoughts before blinking and grabbing the last dish, drying it off hurriedly.

"Huh? Is something really wrong after all?"

"... It's true Ren seems more like his usual self today, but..." He trails off, lost in thought once again. "It would appear that Masato's heart has changed as well, and in a similar way to Ren's. It's like he's scared of something but he also feels happy about it."

"He's scared but happy?" My voice trails off.

He nods at me. "He's scared of a change that has recently taken place, but I believe he's happy because Ren is going through a similar feeling. Though, on the bright side, they seem closer as friends than they were before."

"I see..." I drain the sink and Cecil hands me the towel. Placing the towel on the counter, after drying my hands, I turn for one final sweep of the kitchen, and then move to leave.

"Haruka…" Turning around, I see Cecil looking at me with a sad and serious look on his face. "You don't know anything do you?"

_Not right at this moment, Cecil. I'll try to find answers for everyone._ "No, I'm sorry."

He smiles and waves. "Don't worry about it Haruka! I have a feeling we'll get answers soon."

* * *

I do my best to run to Ren and Masato's room, but my heels are slowing me down. _I shouldn't be rushing to eavesdrop on them! I should be getting to work on a new song! I need to stop meddling._ But no matter how often I repeated those words to myself, I still kept my legs moving towards their room. When I see their door in sight, I slow down remarkably and try to prevent my heels from clicking on the tile. Carefully, I press my ear against the wood once more.

"What did I say about going outside?! I warned you over and over again! Why wouldn't you listen?" Ren's voice is dripping with anger and sounds as if he's practically snarling. "I just… I can't believe _you_ of all people couldn't follow a simple order!"

"I know!" Masato shouts back to him. "I should've listened to you... I'm sorry." His voice softens as my ear starts to hurt from being pressed against the door so hard. "I should've listened to you. I'm sorry, ok?"

"_Sorry_ doesn't cut it! You saw what happened! You put your life in danger!" Ren sighs. "If something _worse_ had happened tonight, I wouldn't even know what to do. You have been killed…" A short pause follows as Ren groans angrily. "Instead, here you are; sitting alongside me in the same boat. And just because you couldn't keep your curiosity under control! Do you understand how furious I am right now?" Ren huffs and starts to walk about the room. "It was a simple request, and you couldn't even follow it!" Masato doesn't respond and a long pause follows shortly after. _That can't be the end of the conversation! Masato, say something!_

"I promise you, I would never have gone outside if I had known _that_ was out there." I release a breath of air I didn't realize I was holding before putting my hand over my mouth to quiet myself.

"So if I told you what was out there, you wouldn't have gone?"

Another moment of silence goes by. "Well..."

"... Are you trying to put the blame on me?" The anger in his voice slowly starts to wash away.

"No. I…" Masato's voices trails off.

"No, I am to blame, at least a little. I should've told someone sooner." I wait for 1… 2… 3 seconds. "But you have to understand. Who here would actually believe me if I told them the truth?" Masato doesn't respond and the sound of a bed creaking echoes in the room. How's your arm?" He asks.

"Fine. It looks remarkably better than it did last night. I'm surprised it's healing so quickly like this."

"That's good to hear. Took me by surprise the first time around as well..." The room becomes quiet, the only sound being the occasional creak of a bed. I press my ear harder to the wooden door, but neither of them said anything for what seemed like hours, though it was probably only a minute.

Masato sighs before saying, "We can't hide this for long. We're not the only people who sleep in the room. If anyone were to see us sneaking out or to actually see us as…" He whispers the last part but, even though my ear was pressed so close to the door, I couldn't make out the word. He sighs again. "Someone will find out eventually. You and I both know that."

"I have a feeling someone already does…" I softly gasp and run to my room, doing my best to keep my heels from clicking against the tile. _They couldn't possibly think it was me! No, they could be talking about anyone._

When I reach my room, I shut the door behind me, gasping for a breath of air. _Maybe, I should write my songs in here for today. It wouldn't be best to leave for now._

* * *

A yawn escapes me as I stretch out my back. _I must have been writing for hours, my back is killing me._ Without hesitation, I get up to lie down on my bed for a moment of relaxation. Lying down on the soft covers, I smile as I melt into the comforting pillows, back slowly relaxing on the surface. Stretching out my legs, I look at the clock. _7:03 PM._ Dinner will be in less than an hour. A faint rapping sound fills the room as someone knocks on the door.

Sighing, I begrudgingly walk to the doorway. Some part of me was hoping it would be Otoya waiting there, a smile on his face and asking if I wanted to help with the preparations. Or Cecil to tell me about a fun recording he went to. Even though I knew that it wasn't either of them, I opened the door none the less.

And there were Ren and Masato, standing stoically and appearing as if there here for business. "May we come in Little Lamb?" Ren flashes a smile of reassurance.

Masato takes a hesitant step forward. "Please, it is urgent business."

"Of course." They walk in and stand in the center of the room before gesturing for me to sit. Taking a seat on the bed, I wait patiently for them to say something.

Ren sighs and runs his hand through his hair before saying, "We know you've been listening to our conversations."

My eyes go wide and I stand up immediately. "I-I'm sorry! I never intended to listen in on your conversations! I was so worried about you two and I feared something terrible might have happen! I shouldn't have been meddling in other people problems again, but-"

"No, no, don't worry yourself, Lady. Nothing is really wrong per say…" Masato glares at him. "Well, there has been… a change of pace, really." Masato's glare turns to daggers. Ren glares back at him. "Why don't _you_ try to explain what's happening?" I take my seat once again.

Masato seems to growl slightly before sighing. "To be honest, there's nothing I _can_ explain, in a way, I'm in the dark just as much as Haruka." He crosses his arms.

"Tch…" Ren crosses the floor and takes a seat on the bed next to me. "Haruka, we can assure you that everything is fine, you have no reason to worry. But please do not listen in on our conversations anymore."

"Then why are you acting so different? Why are you so persistent on keeping this a secret from everyone?" Tears start to form in my eyes.

Masato sits on the other side of me. "Are you saying you know _exactly_ what's going on?"

I look at him in shock, "No! Well… not _exactly_. All I know is that, somewhere along the line, one or both of you got hurt, so I've been worried." Blinking away the tears, I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Well then, Little Lamb, we can assure you we're fine. Look." Ren rolls up both his sleeves only to reveal flawless skin, no marks or scars or even a bruise. Masato does the same, although his arm did have a fading scar on it, which looked to be weeks old, I wasn't entirely reassured that they were both unharmed. _Something is wrong. I know I heard their conversation correctly._

"I still don't see why you two are being so secretive over nothing." I've wiped the last of the tears away by now.

Masato taps my hand before whispering, "This is our problem, no one else's. It wouldn't be right to drag you and everyone else into it."

"But don't you think we could help you?"

Ren chuckles, "Well, I'd love for _you_ to help me, Lady." Masato lightly shoves his arm. "But, we can handle the situation ourselves." Masato nods to him before standing up and heading for the door, with Ren following.

"Remember, it's our little secret for now, okay?" Ren looks back at me and winks. I nod my head and they close the door softly behind them.

Closing my eyes, I pause to think for a moment. _I know what I heard, and they need help from someone. I won't allow the people I love to be harmed. Not while knowing I could do something about it._ I walk to my desk in slow strides and grab the notepad in the left drawer. Flipping it open, I hurriedly scribble down a note to myself. Tears start to form in my eyes again and I do my best to hold them back. _I'm sorry Ren, Masato. I believe and trust in you with all my heart, but I can't let you handle this by yourselves._

* * *

**So as a quick note: I realize that they use a different name for each character, (like how Masato would call him Shinomiya but Syo would call him Natsuki) but after having a few people read the rough drafts of the chapters, they said it's a bit too confusing. So, now everyone goes by their first name or a nickname. Please, feel free to leave a review if you enjoyed this chapter, or favorite and follow if the story interest you.**


	4. Chapter 4

Five days. Five agonizingly long days, I've waited and waited for what seemed like weeks to me, but I can finally gather the courage to do what I need to do. I pull out the sheet of notepad paper, reviewing the plan one final time. _I can be strong too!_

The cool night air greets me as I make my way outside. The stars were sparkling brightly and the moon, now waning, offered less light then from the nights before. I take the steps down the stairs carefully, thankful that I found a pair of sneakers instead of heels, the clicking would attract obvious attention. I look up at the building in front of me. The thought of whether or not to bring Cecil along crossed my mind, since he has a slight understanding of the situation, but thinking about it now makes me relieved. _I don't need to be protected all the time!_

Walking down the west side of the building, I carefully look in my path for any stray leaves or twigs. I round the corner slowly and stop walking when the door on the West side opens, both Masato and Ren walk down the steps, attired with sweatpants and loose clothing.

I move behind said corner, only stepping out enough to see what's going on. I'm too far to hear what they're saying, and an attempt at reading their lips proved a failure, but they both looked alright, if that's the better word. Of course they both looked like they were on the verge of collapsing, that a single step could prove fatal to them. I start to call out to them, to make sure they're not injured, but I slap my hand over my mouth before a word gets out.

A sigh of relief escapes me when they don't notice my presence and they continue to their destination, wherever that might be. I follow them as quietly as I can, occasionally hiding behind a stray bush or tree and, thankfully, they take no notice of my suspicious behavior. They don't speak anymore during their walk, but their footsteps become slower and slower with each passing second. Both carried a look of pain and concentration as they walked. I try to get closer to them while still keeping my distance, which proves harder than how it's portrayed in movies. Before I realize where we are, they've stopped walking and stand by a large tree near the lake. By now, Ren's breathing is labored and Masato seems like he could collapse from the slightest breeze. Ducking behind a nearby bush, I strain to listen to their conversation.

"Remember what I said earlier?" Ren looks back at Masato.

"I know. We're focusing on control tonight." He starts wheezing a bit and lets out a small cough. "How are _you_, Ren Jinguji, better at this than I am?" He leans against the tree and starts sliding down the trunk.

"Hey, no giving in yet, okay? Besides I've had this problem longer than you have." Ren walks over and leans against the tree as well.

"You've only had it for week more than me." Masato sighs and starts coughing again. "It wouldn't hurt so much if we…"

"We're not giving in!" Ren snaps. "I know it seems painful now, but we need to stay strong."

Masato glares at him. "I meant to say if we had a way to soothe our senses, something to relax the mind and keep us from thinking of this pain. Tea would seem good now."

"Maybe for you it would be." The night air fills with the sounds of chirping crickets and waving grass. The faint sound of the lake water slapping the ground fills the air in nature's symphony. They sit completely still, unmoving for what seems like forever. I can't move or else they'll hear me. _Looks like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place._ Masato starts groaning from the pain they mentioned earlier. He places his head in his hands and holds it there, trying to steady his breathing. He closes his eyes and bites down on his lips before he gives out another painful groan.

Ren stares at him and sighs softly. "You can give in."

"No, we're focusing on control. I can control _it_." He groans again and clutches his sides, teeth grinding together.

Ren doesn't say anything for a moment before, "If it happens to you, I'll follow suit. Believe me, it hurts just as badly for me and I would love to stop this suffering."

I want to take a step closer, to… say something… anything, but before I have time to react, I hear an audible snap and hold my breath. _Gah! Why do I have to be so clumsy, stepping on a twig like that! I… I didn't... step on anything…_ I hear a deep growling from behind me. Closing my eyes I painstakingly slowly, turn around, opening one eye before snapping open the other.

A bright white wolf with long fur stood in front of me, lips pulled back in a vicious snarl, baring teeth sharper than needles. Large yellow eyes stared back at me, as my own reflection stared back at me. I want to scream, to yell for someone to help me, but my voice seems to be caught in my throat and wouldn't get out. My palms start to sweat as the wolf takes a small step forward. I take a small step back. Without hesitation, the wolf lunges forward and I snap back to reality, just barely dodging its deadly jaws. Sprinting as fast as I can towards the building, the wolf follows just inches away from my heels. I will my legs to carry me faster, to somehow run faster than humanly possible, but the wolf is clearly at an advantage being on four legs.

Right as I see the dorm in my sight, my foot catches on something and I fall down onto the cold concrete. Pain surges up my arms and legs as I gasp in pain. I quickly look up, just too late, and see a wolf on the verge of ripping me to pieces. It pounces directly onto me and pins me down under its weight. I start reach out for something to grasp on, but the wolf growls at me before I move. I look up at the pale yellow lamp light and the light of the waning moon, thinking; _this is the last thing I'll see._ Tears come to my eyes and I don't try to stop their fall. _I'm so sorry, everyone! I tried to be strong, really I did._ The wolf opens its mouth, rows of glinting teeth just centimeters from my throat. I start crying more harshly. _I just wanted to help! I wish you all could know how sorry I am right now._

The weight on top of me vanishes and I'm too scared to open my eyes. A low guttural growling sounds once again, but clearly not the one from before. Ignoring the pain of the fall, I turn onto my side and open my eyes slowly. For a split second, the world froze and I saw something I never thought I would see; a sight that warmed my heart and chilled me to the bone at the same time.

Two wolves had jumped to my rescue; one with bright gold fur, and another with fur the color of night. The gold colored wolf had its mouth clamped tightly on the neck of the white wolf. The darker of the two also had a firm grasp on the white wolf's heels, blood dripping slightly on the concrete. The white wolf looked shocked to see two wolves appear out of thin air, but that didn't stop it from fighting back. Time returned to normal and the wolves mercilessly started attacking each other again.

The white wolf kicks away the darker one and gets out of the gold wolf's hold. It firmly clamps on the other's throat and starts thrashing its head from side to side. The brighter wolf fights back by using its paws and legs to claw its stomach, but doesn't seem to do much damage. The ebony wolf leaps on to the other's back and bites down on the back of its neck. The white wolf howls and tries to rip off the other. The sandy wolf rolls onto its feet and lunges for the throat of the white wolf as well. Being overwhelmed by the other two, the white wolf tries even harder to get them off. It thrashes its body from side to side, but both wolves held on firmly. As a final escape effort, the white wolf attempts to slam the other two against the ground, effectively loosening their grip on it. The second both wolves are off, it flees down the road, whimpering along the way. The other two wolves jump forward, growling at the fleeing wolf, back's faced towards me.

Sitting up on the concrete ground, I place my hand over my heart, trying to get it to calm down. I'm torn between feeling grateful and feeling frightened. Heavy tears fall down my cheeks, as I do my best to stop the flow. My breath comes out in a quick ragged succession. I gasp slightly before clamping my hand over my mouth. The two wolves look over their shoulders at me. Though I was relieved to see no evil intentions in their looks, I was still frightened by the somewhat human characteristics they showed just now. They look almost annoyed to see me here.

The dark wolf starts to turn its whole body towards me and I yelp before hiding behind my arms. I close my eyes tight but end up opening them a crack. The ebony wolf steps closer to me, while also stepping closer to the light I'm sitting under. With every step, more distinctive features start to stand out. When the darker wolf steps entirely under the light, I see that its fur is actually blue in color as it steps even closer towards me. The other wolf, whose fur was not actually gold, but more of an orange blonde, barked at the blue one and growled softly. The blue cast a glance at the other but didn't stop walking toward me. I think momentarily of trying to make a run for the dorm, but I couldn't move for some reason. _It's right there. I could run away so easily!_ The blue wolf keeps walking closer while the orange wolf kept growling at the other. Sapphire fur shifts under the yellow light, as the wolf looks over its shoulder, barking at the orange wolf. The later growls more menacingly and crouches down, and the blue wolf starts to bark more, even growling back. It stops growling altogether and starts walking more hesitantly toward me.

My breath catches in my throat as the two wolves are literally centimeters away. I hide my face again and tears start flowing more freely. I wait for one of them attack me or even to start growling, but what happened next caught me entirely by surprise. Both wolves licked the tears on my cheeks, wiping them away with their tongues. I open my eyes more and look at the both of them slowly. The blue one actually had a white underbelly running down from its chin to its stomach with white legs as well, and had a... hime cut? The orange one, who was slightly more muscular and larger, had longer fur and light orange fur that went to and even lighter shade as it reached its stomach. That wolf had much longer fur on its head that made it seem more like human hair. Long bangs swept over its right eye. Both looked to be much bigger than ordinary wolves, maybe 110 centimeters at the shoulder.

"Uh… I...?" My voice gets caught in my throat as my lips quiver. They stare intently at me, just watching. It was a bit unsettling, and I shift uncomfortably under their gaze. Forcing myself to take a deep breath, I look at them more closely. The light of the two had light blue eyes, while the darker colored wolf had dark blue eyes. I look at the orange wolf again and notice a gauge in its left ear. I want to reach out and pet it, to make sure this was all real or just another strange dream. I slowly raise my hand up toward the orange wolf. It growls slightly at my hand but stops when I hesitantly pull my hand back. I swallow down my fear as I move my hand even closer to the wolf, as it stops growling and instead looks at me with curiosity. My shaking hand finally make it to the wolf's muzzle, and I take the moment to marvel at the soft fur, but before I can fully realize what's happening, the wolf darts away, followed closely by the other wolf. They run into the shadows and trees, away from my prying eyes.

Blinking, I sit frozen in place by some unknown force. Two wolves just saved my life and were centimeters away from my face, but they didn't hurt me. _Two wolves _just came up to me, licked my face, and run off into the darkness.

"What... just happened?"

* * *

**When I first joined this fandom three months ago, I was a little surprised to see that the Utapri fandom had several vampire AU's ,but no werewolf AU's. After being encouraged by several friends, I decided to write it myself. And draw for it as well.**

**So after carefully searching through every fanfiction and art site I could think of, I present to you (most likely) the first Utapri werewolf AU. ****(All drawings are finished, and will be posted on deviantart at a later date.)** I encourage my readers to leave a review of what you enjoyed/thought of this fanfiction. If you happen to enjoy the story so far, please feel free to favorite and follow it.

**EDIT: Those two wolves have just been posted to my Deviantart account under the same name.**


	5. Chapter 5

A yawn escapes me as I stretch out my back and gaze up at the beige ceiling of my room. _It's been a while since I've woken up without a nightmare._ My dreams felt warm and safe tonight. Like the fight from last night. A white wolf came to me, it wanted to hurt me and break me in every way, but, like before, two wolves, a blue one and an orange one, came and attacked the monster and kept them at bay. Instead of the shadows of pain I usually see in nightmares, I see shining warmth.

Rolling onto my side, I slowly get out of bed. After dragging my feet to my closet, I search through my clothes for something to wear and find the white dress my grandmother made for me. After putting it on, I slip on a pair of my comfortable heels and open the door to my bedroom only to bump into someone on my way out. I blush from embarrassment and apologize before looking up.

"Cecil? What are you doing here so early?" He wraps his arms around my waist and hugs me tightly. "C-Cecil? What are you doing?"

"Good Morning, Haruka! I've come to you with fantastic news!" Cecil releases me and beams proudly. His smile disappears and is replaced with a look of surprise. "Oh, right. You see it's actually 10:00 right now. You missed breakfast so I brought you something to eat." I didn't realize it, but he had a container of cut up fruit in his hands.

"Oh, thank you Cecil!" I take the fruit from his hands and step to the side. "Would you like to come in and talk about your fantastic news?"

He nods and walks in, immediately sitting on the end of my bed. I take a seat next to him and start eating the different colored fruits. "So, what's the news?"

Cecil smiles widely. "Ren and Masato seem much better today! They both looked so proud of themselves and were grinning a lot."

"That's wonderful news! So they're doing better now, right?"

Cecil nods before frowning slightly. "Well, yes, but even though they both seem so happy, I still detect a hint of worry in them. It wasn't really noticeable at first, but when Otoya mentioned that you were still sleeping in your room, they kind of cast nervous glances at each other. What do you think about all this, Haruka?"

The room starts to get eerily quiet as I stop taking bites of my food, and stare at the bowl in my hands, frowning. _Ren and Masato… They were the wolves that saved me last night, right? They looked so much like them, it must be true. Is that what they were hiding?_ I furrow my brow as my thoughts continue to wander. _I've already meddle enough in their problems, but what if they need my help? What if they need everyone's help?_

"Haruka, are you alright?" Cecil leans forward and tilts my head up.

I don't say anything immediately, but after a moment's hesitation, I whisper, "Cecil?"

"Hm?" Cecil leans back a bit, a quizzical look on his face.

"Why are you telling me all this? Why not tell Ren or Masato? It seems like this is more of their problem, yet you always come to me." I look him straight in the eyes, but he shows no facial expressions.

He suddenly smiles and chuckles a bit. "I trust you, Haruka. I've seen you do amazing things that have affected so many people. I believe you can help with whatever problem is bothering them and bring everyone closer together. We're all bonded to you through your music, if anyone can help us, it's you."

Frowning, I look back down at my fruit salad. Thinking back to what happened last night, I continue to dwell on the two wolves that saved me. _I can help them? It's not just me I'm sure. We have the rest of STARISH to help, including QUARTET NIGHT and the teachers._ I ponder the subject for just a moment more, before looking up again and saying, "Cecil I have an important question to ask you. I need you to try and represent the thought of all the members of STARISH on your answer. I know it's asking a lot but it would truly mean a lot to me."

Cecil stares at me before nodding his head slowly.

I breathe in a gulp of air and release it again. "If Ren and Masato were keeping a secret from everyone, something that could change people's opinion of them, including yours, would you still accept it and do your best to understand it? Would you all still be friends?"

He doesn't say anything immediately but instead gets up from his spot on the bed. He walks slowly to the window and looks outside. He turns around and goes as far as the door before turning back and going to the window. He repeats the process a few more times, occasionally grabbing his necklace and looking at it. I wait for his response eagerly, fruit salad set aside and forgotten. He pauses, furrows his brow and glances in my direction. After three more minutes off pacing, he sits back down and faces me, grabbing my hand as well.

"I think it might be a shock at first, we might try to accept it the best we can in the beginning and might even fail entirely…" A frown appears on my lips. "But…"

"Huh?" I lean forward slightly.

"Ren and Masato are our friends and we will accept them no matter what." He smiles reassuringly and squeezes my hand.

The smile on my face grows enormously. "Thank you, Cecil! That means a lot to me!" I quickly stand up and make my way to the door. "I'm sorry, Cecil, but I have to go! I'll see you later."

Excitedly, I run to Ren and Masato's room. The trip is rather short and very quick, and before I could blink their door was in sight. When the wooden door stands in front of me, I raise my hand up to knock before freezing up.

_I only have a hunch. I can't go and accuse them of something that I have no proof on. _I frown and start wringing my hands together. _What do I do? What should I do? _Biting my lip, I continue to wring my hands. _Maybe I should go back and bring it up to them later?_ Suddenly the door opens, and Ren is standing there, hair a mess and eyes looking tired.

"Oh, I was just about to come and get you Little Lamb. Could you come in for a moment?" He smirks and takes my hand before kissing it gently.

A blush rises up to my cheeks. "Uh, sure." I take a few hesitant steps forward before Ren closes the door shut behind me. I look over to see Masato sitting on his bed and rubbing his neck, also looking tired and hair a mess. He gestures for me to take a seat on the couch and I comply. They move to stand in front of me, Ren with his hands at his sides and Masato with his arms crossed. I look at Ren and see a barely noticeable bite mark on his neck, lined in a neat row with two larger marks near the front of the bite. He notices me staring and turns away, rubbing his neck.

"We need to talk about something." He says finally. "You were outside last night, right?"

I look down and frown. Tears start coming to my eyes again but I fight to keep them from falling as I nod slowly. _Just focus on your breathing, and remain calm._

"You were attacked? By a uh... dog of some sort?" Masato unfolds his arms for a moment but only to adjust them more comfortably. Another nod as a tear starts to roll down my cheek. I wipe it away and do my best to keep anymore from falling.

"But you were saved by two other _dogs_, right?" Ren takes a seat on the couch next to me. I clutch my hands on my knees and nod again, tears threatening to leave my eyes.

"You already know about those two dogs don't you?" Masato takes a seat on the opposite side of the couch, sandwiching me between them.

I whisper, "They were you weren't they?" And by now the tears are already falling down my face and onto my lap. I start sobbing and shout, "I'm so sorry! Ren! Masato! I'm so sorry!"

"Shh, it's okay Little Lamb." Ren puts his arm around my shoulder and Masato grabs my hand.

"No! It's not okay! If I just stayed away! If I just left you two alone, you wouldn't have to protect me and you wouldn't have gotten hurt! Please, forgive me!" I bring my hands to my face and sob into them. "I didn't want you two to get hurt! I'm sorry!"

"Haruka, we were glad you were there." Masato squeezes my hand again. I lower my hands as I blink in confusion at the two idols.

"What?" I look frantically between the two, but they only smiled at me.

"We were discussing how and when we should tell people what's happened, but we came to a dead end. Having you there, and being able to protect you, made this conversation possible." Ren smirks. "It was the perfect way for you to understand us. It's a comforting feeling, in a sense."

A bead of sweat falls down my neck as the awkward tension of the room continues to grow. Both Ren and Masato have stopped talking and were now looking anywhere but at me. Masato coughs, breaking the silence and causing me to mentally sigh in relief.

"Y-you have a lot of questions don't you? Since you know now, there's no reason not to answer them." Masato and Ren both get up and stand in front of me. Masato had a slight blush on his cheeks while Ren awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. I gape at them. _They're just going to tell me everything? Everything?!_

"Why? I mean, it's nice if you want to, but you don't have to tell me anything. Yet you're choosing to? Why?"

"It's about time we told someone." Masato smiles at me again.

Ren nods in agreement. "We knew we couldn't keep it a secret forever, and trying to hide it just proved to be difficult. If we never told anyone, suspicions would grow and we would end up in more trouble than before. So please, ask away."

"Uh…" Millions of questions flash through my mind, but none of them seem like they're good enough to voice. I bite my lip and furrow my brow.

"Say whatever comes to mind, anything you want." Ren nods to me.

"W-what exactly are you? How did this happen to you?"

Ren closes his eyes, tilting his head ever so slightly. "I think the closest term for us would be werewolves. Or even just wolves in general." He pauses to scratch at the markings on his throat. "I was attacked one night roughly two weeks ago. That white wolf from last night bit me on my arm before running off, didn't even stop to keep attacking me. At the time, I guess I didn't dwell much on the subject but now it seems strange if you really think about it."

Nodding to him, I look to Masato for his story. He sighs. "I was attacked a week after Ren was. It didn't bite me and run off like it did with him. It held on tightly and tried its best to dig into my arm. I think it probably would've killed me if Ren hadn't attacked the wolf himself."

My eyes widen. "Ren saved you?"

Masato nods. "At the time, I didn't know it was Ren until the wolf changed into a person. Of course, because the moon was waning at the time, I didn't have much light to really tell if it was Ren. I knew for sure it was him when he started scolding me."

"But I thought werewolves only came out on full moons."

"We thought so too." Masato sits down on the chair next to the couch. "We can change whenever we want to, but our wills are weaker at night. The moon doesn't seem to have an effect on us, but with every passing day it becomes a little easier to remain human at night. To be honest, I think it would be easier if we did change on the full moon; once a month is better than every night."

"I have to agree with Masato." Ren sits down on the couch, a considerable distance away from me. "My first week as a werewolf was awful. After a few days, I was wishing it was only a once a month type of thing."

Furrowing my brow, I think of my next question carefully. "Does it hurt? To turn into wolves?"

Ren shrugs his shoulders. "It only hurts at night, when we try to fight it. If we turn into wolves of our own free will, it's practically painless." Ren rubs at his neck again, grimacing at something unknown to me.

I hum softly. "What was your first night as a wolf like?" Ren cast a glare in my direction and I squeak under it. "Sorry, that's too much to ask! I know that now!" I clasp my hands in my lap and looks down at them, a light blush dusting my cheeks. Masato glares at the other idol.

Ren sighs. "On my first night, I was completely unable to change back to my human form, so I was stuck the whole night as a wolf. I didn't like it. End of story." He returns the glare to Masato.

Ignoring their staring contest, I bite my lip and ponder my next question carefully. "You both fought so fiercely last night. I've always seen you two as the type to not get into fights, to calmly handle a situation. Seeing you violently dig your teeth into something frightened me."

Masato starts to blush and Ren looks away, rubbing the back of his neck. "We…" They both start to talk at the same time, but Masato gestures to Ren to speak.

"We weren't… uh… thinking straight. We saw you being attacked and just kind of reacted. Something just sort of… snapped and we lunged. We're sorry we frightened you."

Masato coughs. "We are truly sorry."

I close my mouth and wipe the last of the tears away. "Lately, I've been having nightmares…" They both look to me, a slight scowl on their faces. "Something made of smoke would come after me and would try to hurt me. I'm sure they wanted to get rid of me." Their scowls deepen as they glare at nothing in particular. "But last night, I didn't have a nightmare. When the smoke came after me last night, two wolves, an orange and a blue one, appeared and kept me safe the whole night. It was the wolves who saved me last night, you two." They stop scowling and open their mouths in surprise.

"Hang on," Masato stands up. 'You're saying we protected you?"

"Yes." I muster a smile for them.

Ren shakes his head. "But... we're monsters. That's impossible." They frown and look down at the floor.

"Don't say that!" I stand up abruptly. "Monsters don't save people who are about to be killed! They don't protect people from nightmares! Neither of you are monsters, I know that for sure!"

"How can you be so sure?" Ren stands up and steps forward. Masato follows his lead. "You saw how we attacked the other wolf. What's stopping us from attacking you that way?"

"We saw it attacking you." Masato frowns and looks away. "We wanted to kill it for what it's done…"

My ears ring at the word _'kill'_ and my heart rate increases. _Kill? These two wonderful people?_

Ren frowns. "You're scared of us, huh?"

Gaping at him, I quickly shake my head. "What? No! I… I mean, how did you-"

"We heard your heart beat faster." Masato frowns. "I'm sorry. We don't mean to frighten you, honestly, but when we saw you under that wolf… We didn't think before we acted."

Ren forces a smile and chuckles. "Heh. Guess it shows who the real monsters are…"

Forcing myself to relax, I put on a more serious look. "Neither of you are monsters. You wouldn't hurt me and you wouldn't hurt our friends. You're both kind people, I know you are. You only attacked out of your wolf instincts, nothing else!"

They smile reassuringly and nod, but I know they don't entirely believe me.

The room fills with dead silence and I sit back down. "Will you tell the others?"

They look at me wide eyed and step toward me. "No!"

Masato walks even closer. "They won't react the same way you will!"

"You don't know that!" They step back and close their mouths. "I know they will accept you. It will be hard in the beginning, but you're all good friends and they trust you just as much as I do."

They sit down on the couch, neither of them willing to respond to my statement. I wait for one… two… three minutes, but neither of them say anything.

"Can…" I gulp. They look up. "Can I see you... as wolves, again?"

They whisper, "Haruka…"

"Lady…"

"Please?"

"But why?" Masato speaks slowly, waiting for a good answer.

I smile fondly. "I want to thank the wolves for saving me, too."

"They could attack you…" Ren grabs my hands.

"But they won't…"

They don't say anything for a while and I started to worry that they'll say no, but Ren turns to Masato, "Could you lock the door? Wouldn't want anyone to burst in." They stand up, Ren moves in front of me and Masato locks the door before standing in front of me as well.

"Close your eyes, okay?"

"Ok…" I close my eyes and wait patiently. Straining my hearing, the sounds of clothes rustling and heavy breathing fill the room, but it's surprisingly silent. I was expecting bones cracking or even claws on wooden floors, but I suppose the movies aren't anything like real life. _Strange, just a day ago, I never believed werewolves could exist._ The waiting feels like forever, but the heavy breathing and rustling of clothes disappear. "I'm going to open my eyes now."

My eyes open slowly as I see two wolves standing in front of me, neither of them looking especially happy, and more like worried. I notice that both of them still had human clothes on them and it made them look a bit ridiculous. Stifling a laugh, I try to say something, but the words get stuck in my throat and I clench my hands on my lap. _What do I say, just a simple 'Thank you'? They saved my life!_ Getting off the couch, I kneel on the floor in front of them. They take a small step back away and whimper slightly. I reach out a hand to them slowly, ready to have soft hands meet soft fur, but my hand tenses up. _No, they wouldn't hurt me. I know that!_ I look down at my lap and frown. They whimper at me as I close my eyes and clench my hands. _No! I can do this!_ I remember back to last night and think of how they acted towards that wolf. I remember their glistening fangs sinking into their prey's skin. I remember the surprise look of the other wolf as it was overwhelmed by teeth and claws.

I grit my teeth together and force myself to open my hands. Raising my other hand, I reach out to the both of them, but I don't look up at them. A warm wet nose touches my right hand, the hand Ren is standing in front of, and is followed by a soft whimper. "T-thank you. I know, I seem scared right now, but I was grateful for the help you gave me last night. I mean it." Another nose touches my left hand, this time being replaced by a soft muzzle. Slowly, I open my eyes at the wooden floors before looking up at the two wolves in front of me. Ren copies Masato's action and pushes his snout forward, causing my hand to rest on his head.

Despite the _both_ of them being wolves, their fur had completely different feelings to it. My hands move on their own as they slowly stroke the fur on their heads. Ren's fur was long but thin, and felt silky to the touch. Masato's fur was shorter and thicker, while keeping a more solid feeling to it. For some reason, they retained their usual hairstyles on their head which on made them look more like themselves. My hands move once again to caress their cheeks, and I blush as they lean into my touch, eyes closed in the bliss of the moment.

They look into my eyes, pools of blue meeting my soft yellow. With just a simple look they told me everything they wanted to. Traces of fear, sadness, and a hint of joy showed in their eyes as they once again move their heads, causing me to run my hands through their fur. They whimper at me. A smile finds its way to my lips as I gain some confidence and pet them more willingly. I giggle, "Monsters would never be this kind to me…"

Someone knocks on the door and I snap my head up towards the sound, eyes wide and my whole body feeling numb. I hear the soft sound of rustling clothes and look over to see Ren changing into a human. He walks by me, adjusting his clothes along the way, and he opens the door as Masato guides me to sit on the couch.

Ren opens the door, "Hm? Did you need something, Otoya?" I sigh in relief, thankful it wasn't one of our teachers or seniors.

"Have you seen Haruka? Cecil says she didn't really eat breakfast and we want to make sure she gets her energy for the day."

Ren smiles, "She's in here. We were discussing a new STARISH song she's working on." Otoya looks inside and smiles at me.

"Come on Haruka, how about we get something to eat, huh?" I smile and nod before getting up. I brush past Ren and I could've sworn I felt soft silky fur brush my arm, but a quick glance tells me I was only imagining things. As were walking down the halls, I look behind me to see the two of them in the doorway. Ren casually waves me good bye and Masato nods to me. Nodding in return, I bring my attention to a chattering Otoya.

* * *

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	6. Chapter 6

"Our timing was off at the end; let's start again from the third to last verse." With a nod, Masato and the others get into their dance positions. Otoya and Syo run their hands through their hair at an attempt to wipe some of the sweat from their heads. Of course all of them looked tired and were each covered in thin layers of sweat. Giving Masato a curt nod, I bring my slender hands up to create the joyous tune. With a smile, each key is hit in perfect succession, not a note out of place. The boys follow through with the last bit of the dance, all of them smiling and mouthing the words into their imaginary microphones.

Natsuki, Syo, and Otoya were both going strong, huge grins remained plastered on their faces as they dance with all the energy they could offer. Tokiya and Masato, though smiling, were both dancing carefully and tenaciously. As usual, Ren's way of dancing was loose and much less uncoordinated compared to his roommate, but his form and sense of style made up for the fact. Cecil has improved greatly over the past few weeks; he hasn't done the Agnadance during practice whatsoever. All in all, their dancing as a unit was phenomenally good, and each step and turn was filled with unbounded happiness.

As I lift my hands from the keys I can't help but smile proudly. "That was wonderful!" Standing up, I walk closer to them. "I think that was the best one yet."

Syo grins and puffs out his chest slightly. "Our timing was spot on, wasn't it? Of course, that's what hard work can do." Within just a few seconds, Natsuki was there, both arms wrapped tightly around the younger boy and effectively lifting him off the ground.

"We've all been working hard!" Natsuki smiles, oblivious to Syo's incoherent swears and flailing legs. "It feels good to practice on such a beautifully sunny day. Don't you think so too, Syo?"

Syo manages to sputter, "Need… Air…" The taller of the two quickly releases his hold of the idol, showing concern towards his gasping roommate.

I chuckle at the display of the two. "You should all take a break and get some water before we continue practicing." With a nod and a few 'good job's', they briskly walk out of the room, in search for a dire need of refreshments. All of them leave, except Ren and Masato. The smile from before slowly drops as I realize why they didn't follow with the others, and without a doubt, they were thinking about my suggestion of having them tell the others of this situation. _Even though it's only been a few days since I brought it up, they're still beating themselves up over it._ They don't say anything, instead standing there trying to figure out the right words, and I can't think of what to say at a time like this. Doing my best to ignore the tension in the room, I move to the piano, sat on the bench, and began shuffling the papers into neat piles. Of course, it was only a mean to distract myself from them, and they _knew_ this too, given how often they would glance in my direction. Ren moves to one of the chairs lining the wall and makes himself comfortable when seated, huffing in annoyance as well. Masato moves to the opposite side of the room and sits upright on a bench, hands folded neatly in his lap.

When I find the papers in neat stacks on the piano, I glance at the other two occupants in the room. However, neither Ren nor Masato have made any signs of speaking anytime soon. Releasing a sigh, my gaze goes upward towards the ceiling lights and I start to count how many are in the room total. Despite my sure fire way of distracting myself, I simply couldn't find myself ignoring the two newly made werewolves. _We have to address it sooner or later._ I mentally scold my conscience for being right. Begrudgingly, I clear my throat and move to the center of the room. "I uh…"

"You think we should tell the others right?" Ren looks up at me. His usual smirk replaced by a grim face. I nod. Sighing he gets up from his seat and places a hand on my shoulder. "Lady, I'll be honest; I still don't like the idea of letting them know about us."

Masato walks towards the center as well. "There's no telling what their reactions will be like. They might not respond the way you did..."

They look down, confusion and sadness was apparent on their faces, so I give them a reassuring smile. "You don't know until you try, right?"

Ren remained skeptical, folding his arms, while Masato gave me a small smile in return. "We can only hope they'll accept it, and will do nothing that they will come to regret."

"Hehehe…" _?!_ _I know that voice! But why him of all people?!_ Realization shows on the two idols faces as they frantically start searching for the source of the voice.

With a bang and a loud bark of laughter, Shining Saotome lands in the center of the room, a wide grin placed on his face. I yelp out habit and jump back a bit. "Hahaha! The way you speak so differently of your friends is a big change of pace! But, whether or not that's a good change of pace is a different matter." The president spins in a circle before finally coming to a standstill. "But what a humongous surprise the change was! I was sure you would all let them know from the get go!"

I stutter, "Wh… What are you-?"

Ren takes a step forward, a sharp glare written across his face. "How did you-"

"How I got here doesn't matter in the slightest! Besides, this is _my_ agency is it not? Surely I would have ways to get to every inch of the grounds!" He turns sharply towards Ren and Masato. "But that's not what matters! What matters is the situation going on right here and now!" Saotome leans even closer to the two idols, causing them to step further away from him. "You two seem reluctant to let the others know of your dilemma! That little dilemma that I like to call, 'A Major Werewolf Crisis!'"

A sudden wave of nausea crashes down on my body, as I feel the world slow down around me. The president's continued laughter seems to slow and become deeper. I raise a hand to my head, noticing how cold and clammy my hands have become. _The President could easily disband STARISH, or even worse._ _They wouldn't be able to sing the songs we've worked on._ _They could be punished or even worse, who knows what problems could occur._ All too quickly the pace of the world returns to normal. My hand shoots out to grip the nearest stable surface; the edge of the piano. Remembering that I was not alone in this room, I quickly right myself up. _Ren and Masato would worry if they saw what just happened._

"Then how did you know about us?" Masato takes a step toward the center of the room, a glare written on his face. Despite the look of anger on his face, he seemed just as worried as I currently am.

"How could I not? STARISH has no secrets when it comes to me! I've known since the night Ren was attacked!" His grin doesn't fail to disappear and his energy only seems to escalate. "Such a shame though! I planned on removing that wolf as soon as possible. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a werewolf! And then to see the two of you become werewolves as well! Ha! Like something out of a fairytale book! Except this tale is going to have many twists and turns in it!"

Shaking my head of the last of the nausea, I force out, "Does none of this surprise you, President?"

"I'm sure crazier things have happened in the world! Besides, Mr. Jinguji and Mr. Hijirikawa have been handling the problem fine, and they don't allow it to get in the way of their work whatsoever!" He stops in the center of the room, but doesn't stop moving his feet.

Ren glares at him, venom dripping from his voice. "And why are you here now?"

"No need to be so angry! Why, I'm here to help you of course! I'm here to solve this problem you two are having with the other members of STARISH!" He grabs the shoulders of both Masato and Ren and drags them to the center of the room. "If they truly are your friends, they will understand the situation in a heartbeat, so long as you're honest about what's happening! And you'll all the honesty you can muster!" He grins and pats them on the back. "The straight forward truth is your ally in this battle!"

"President," I clear my throat. "Does that mean you're going to help us convince them of our dilemma?"

"No, no, no!"

Ren mutters, "One 'no' is enough…"

"I'm not the one who's a werewolf, now am I? My job as president of this agency and the principal of the academy is to help the students and idols solve problems on their own!" Shining moves away from the two idols and stands once again in the middle of the room. "In the real world, there are challenges one must face on their own and with their own abilities!" He grins wickedly before doing a quick spinning dance. "Now, if you're out of questions, I really must be going. I'm afraid I have a meeting to attend to. Perhaps we can discuss this whole werewolf problem at another time but for now, bye bye!" He throws a small silver ball on the ground, filling the room with a layer of smoke in seconds. Coughing, I close my eyes and attempt to waft away the smoke. The cloud disappears rather quickly, and by the time it's gone, the president was nowhere to be seen. Ren and Masato search around the room for him, but fail to find even a trace of the president. Sighing, they walk over to me.

"So Lady," Ren smirks. "What do you think?"

With a thoughtful smile, I tell them, "They'll accept you. I know they will…" They return the smile and the practice room doors suddenly open up, the rest of STARISH walk in.

Otoya and Tokiya, both carrying water bottles in hand, smile at us. Otoya chatters happily, "Hey, got you guys some water!" They toss the bottles to them which Ren and Masato catch easily. Natsuki hands me a water bottle as well, and delivers it with his usual smile.

"Uh, thanks." Ren looks down at the bottle in his hands, turning it over. He cast a glance in Masato's direction, who only nods in return, and sighs, "Hey, uh, we have something to say…" They walk to the center of the room again and stand there avoiding the gaze of the others, Masato folding his arms and Ren shoving his hands into his pockets.

Tokiya furrows his brow. "Is something wrong?"

Masato shakes his head and says, "It is fine. Take a seat." He gestures to the stray chairs sitting in the room. They each grab one and set them down in front of them, Tokiya getting one for me as well. I whisper a 'Thank You' to him and sit down quietly. Cecil catches my attention and flashes a warm smile, which I return to him. With a nod, we both return our attention to the two idols standing in front of us.

Ren rubs his neck again and runs his hand through his hair. "Here's the thing…"

* * *

_Awkward_ couldn't even begin to describe the feeling of the room. With each word said, my skin started to crawl even more, and the beads of sweat along my neck certainly weren't helping. For the most part, the others remained silent. Of course, in the beginning they didn't believe a word of it, called it a prank and told the two of them to stop joking around. But as Ren and Masato started to explain more and more, they gradually started to quiet down. They would ask an occasional question, when the situation called for it, but they did their best to listen to the news.

Cecil seemed calm, for the most part. He didn't react _much_ to what was being said, and only raised an eyebrow when they said the word 'werewolf' the first time. Throughout most of the conversation, he would cast a glance in my direction, but other than that shared no smile or encouraging nod.

Otoya looked utterly shocked, but also insanely confused. He asked the most questions out of all of them, but once they said the werewolf a few more times he seemed a bit calmer than before or as much as he could, at least. In fact, he looked almost as uncomfortable as I felt.

Syo was in a similar situation to Otoya. While he looked just as confused, he glared at the people in front of him rather than show utter shock. However, he sat quietly through the whole conversation, folding his arms across his chest a majority of the time too.

Tokiya kept a blank face, along with Natsuki, and their expressions didn't give much away. Of course, Natsuki showed some large degree of shock towards them in the beginning, but now remained stoic and calm like Tokiya. Tokiya did seem to raise a brow at what they were saying, but didn't show any other emotion a majority of the time. Neither of them asked any questions yet, but something told me they were just as curious as everyone else.

With a heavy sigh, Ren finishes telling them, "So… that's it." He shoves his hands into his pockets, while Masato kept his by his side. "That's… everything."

I place my hands in my lap and listen to the silence of the room. None one says anything or at least they're not sure what to say and decided to keep their mouths shut. But, the skin crawling sensation continues and a gulp nervously. _I-I'm sure it's fine! Everything will play out, right?_

Tokiya finally breaks the silence and coughs, bringing everyone's attention to him. "Why tell us this now? You could have told us the day it happened, but for some reason you chose to hold onto it for a while."

Ren frowns and looks away, "I… We weren't sure how you... How all of you, would react."

Masato nods. "We feared what would happen to us or anyone else who would get involved." Masato looks at them straight on, refusing to break eye contact. "We saw it as our problem, at first; we didn't think we should drag any of you into this mess."

Ren hums his agreement. "We can handle it on our own. Or at least well enough…" He removes his hands from his pockets and looks up at everyone else as well.

"Wait, hang on," Syo holds up his hand. "I'm still having a tough time believing this. It could still be a prank or something."

Ren sighs. "You think we'd play a joke like this on you?" Syo doesn't say anything and keeps his gaze on Ren. With a soft 'hmph', Ren puts his hand out in front of him. For a moment nothing happens, but then it changes slowly, fingers elongating, and looking more crooked. The process is slow, but it doesn't fail to leave us surprised. After roughly 30 seconds, Ren is showing some cross between a human hand and wolf paw. He notices the intense stares of the others, and quickly changes it back, shoving it in his pocket. He shrugs at Syo, who didn't fail to look shocked at the display. "I don't think you should see me as a real wolf. Not now. Not yet." Silence follows and everyone looks away from the two idols. Following their lead, I look down at the polished floor in front of me.

"Haruka," I look up to see Natsuki gazing at me. "You don't seem all that surprised at this news."

I smile slightly at him. "To be honest, I learned about this by accident a few nights ago." Smiling fondly, I look down at my hands. "They saved me."

"Saved you?" Syo leans forward in his chair. "They did, as werewolves?"

I nod. "The other night, I was attacked by a white wolf. I don't know what would've happened if they hadn't showed up and fought it off. I'm here unharmed because of them." The others look away and the eerie quiet returns. "And…" Several eyes focus on me. "For the past few weeks, I've been having nightmares. A cloud of smoke would come and attack me. I would always wake up in a cold sweat, early in the morning. The night they saved me, I had a dream where the smoke came back, but it never got any closer to me. Two wolves showed up and protected me the whole night. I just thought they were ordinary nightmares, so I never said anything." The memories of my previous dreams flash through my mind, and I clench my hands into fist.

Tokiya ask, "And you never told anyone?"

I shake my head. "I didn't say anything because… I had to do my best to believe in their better judgment."

The awkward silence rears its head again and I clench my fist even more tightly. The display thankfully goes by unnoticed, as the others would worry even more if they saw me acting so differently. I don't look up, choosing to look at me knees as if they the most fascinating thing in the world.

Tokiya sighs, "I understand you never told us this in fear of how we would react, but I still believe you should have told as a bit sooner. If perhaps it was never Haruka that learned first, but maybe Ranmaru or the president..." The others look down at the floor, frowns and glares varied between them.

Ren glares at him. "And you would believe us? Do you believe us even now?"

"I think it's safe to assume that we believe you now, after what's just happened." Tokiya glances at Ren's hand before bringing his gaze up to Ren again. Ren scoffs, but his glare softens.

Masato speaks up, "What do you think now, that you've heard about this? Do you think any differently?"

No one says anything for a long time, all of them clearly trying to think of the right words to say.

Natsuki sighs but then smiles softly. "When I was young and I read the books about mythical creatures, I always thought that werewolves were dangerous. That they killed for fun, but knowing that you two protected Haruka shows me that those books were just fairytales. I'm glad you're still the same people we know." I smile at Natsuki, happiness starting to bubble up in me.

Syo scoffs. "I'm still not entirely sure about this whole werewolf thing." I feel the happiness slowly fade away. "But, Natsuki's right. You guys are still the same people. Plus hearing you protect Haruka doesn't make you out to be the bad guys in this situation."

The happiness wells up again. Otoya looks up and beams at them. "I think it's a little amazing, in a crazy sort of way. Of course, it's still a bit surprising, but I'm with Natsuki and Syo." Tokiya nods in agreement and smiles at them.

I look to Cecil for his answer. He shrugs, "I was asked me a similar question the other day, and my answer is the same. I'll do my best to understand the situation and accept it."

Ren and Masato smile and look as if a huge weight has been lifted from their shoulders. As if the chains around their neck and limbs have suddenly been broken. The others seem just as relieved as them and smile widely.

Syo stands and looks between me and others. "We're still practicing, right? We need to work on the routine for the other song." He grins and moves his chair out of the way.

An uncontrollable smile finds its way to my lips. "Of course!" I rush over to the piano and shuffle through the sheets of music. Pulling up the next song, I place it in front of me. The others move their chairs away from the center and they all get in their positions. As I was going to put the other sheets of music behind the new sheets, but my hands suddenly freeze. My eyes go wide and my mouth hangs open slightly. Realizing the face I must have on, I quickly change it before the others would notice. I smile at them and begin playing, but the question in the back of my mind continuously badgers at me.

_Will they be werewolves for the rest of their lives?_

* * *

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	7. Chapter 7

My delicate hands tightly clutch the soft fabric of the bed, as I sat on the edge, pondering what to do next. I clasp my hands in my lap and stare down at them, furrowing my brow and biting my lip. A long sigh escapes me as I whisper to myself,. "I have a meeting today. I get off at 2 or 3 o'clock. I might be able to…" The words die on my lips and I get up from my bed and walk to the wooden desk. Grabbing my bag and a few folders, I slip on my shoes and leave my room. The walk down the hall is silent, and feels almost deafening. _I'll visit the library after the meeting; I can look up a few books on werewolves or something._ I start to walk more briskly down the hall, Ren and Masato's words echoing in my head. _No going outside at night._ My journey progresses as I walk down the steps and continue on past the fountain. I'll be home in time, I knew that but worry still gnaws at my mind. While it was quite common of me to return home late in the night, with the recent events still fresh in my mind I've been more eager to return home early. I shake my head. _I'll be fine; I have no need to worry._

* * *

The meeting ended surprisingly quickly. Usually my meetings would consist of hours upon of hours of talking of the latest findings on music test and planning on what songs to create for future shows and radio stations. Before I knew it, I was making my way to a nearby library. Looking down at the crumbled slip of paper in my hand, I reread the instructions to the building. _It's a left then a right, and then a… left?_ Murmuring to myself, "Please don't let me get lost." I inhale then exhale and keep walking down the street. Unfamiliar faces speed by and flashes of red and yellow lights zoom by even more quickly. I take in a deep breath and exhale it slowly. _Don't worry; I'm sure I'll get there with no problems._ Rounding a corner, I look up at street signs, hoping for something with a familiar name. _It's the next left, I think?_ Worry starts to gnaw at me as I gulp loudly. _Everything's fine I'm sure. I'm positive I'm almost there._

What felt like hours to me was actually mere minutes and I soon find myself outside a tall white building. I beam proudly at the structure, twirling in happiness. Speeding up the concrete steps to the double doors, I slowly stroll in, cold air gliding over my skin. The plain carpet and white walls of the hallway aren't there to impress, but the several cases full of books and writing are. After a short walk through the entrance hall, I make it to the actual library part and quickly scan the signs for a mythology or science fiction section, frowning when I can't see it in plain sight.

A quick glance over to my left reveals a tall thin woman in front of a computer at the front desk. She was perhaps middle aged with brown hair tied back in a tight ponytail. As I approach the desk, she glances at me but otherwise doesn't say anything. "Excuse me miss," She looks at me with a bored expression. "I'm looking for books on mythology, preferably about werewolves." I frown and quickly add, "For a project."

She scoffs under her breath and in a flat voice responds, "Second floor. Take those stairs and they're the third section on your left, labelled mythology." Pointing behind me, she immediately goes back to her computer screen. I thank her and zoom up the flight of stairs. At the top of the steps, I spend only a moment of searching before finding the mythology section. I stroll down the aisle and begin looking in the 'W' section. Smiling, I'm surprised to see a small section for werewolves. Of course, I didn't expect to find a whole book on werewolves, or even a section as large as the one in front of me, but I grateful either way. I grab a majority of them and stack them into my arms. A quick look over my shoulder reveals an empty desk and chair. I glide over, setting the books down, and crack one open.

"I'll try to find a cure for you guys. I will." And I began reading immediately.

* * *

"No…" The sound of flipping pages floats through the air. "No." I scatter the pages on my desk, some of them falling off and landing gracefully on the ground. "No! There must be something here, anything!" I flip through the scattered books on the desk once more, making an even bigger mess than before. Frowning, I pick up a worn down book and carefully leaf through some of the delicate pages. I groan in frustration as I place the book on the table, before laying my head down in my hands. "There has to be something I'm missing." Flipping through another book, I promptly put in down when it yields nothing of interest.

_Every_ book in the section is the same; opinions and false accusations of werewolves written down on every page. None of them said anything of sure way to cure a werewolf, and most said the same thing; that werewolves are blood thirsty killers. While some books did say a few points of interest, how werewolves are known to become aggressive or show mood swings, they were facts that did nothing to help or I had already known about them. One of the books said that a rumor for curing a werewolf is by killing the wolf that made it one, but it was just a rumor; and if it happens to be true, I'm sure Ren and Masato won't be able to take a life so easily. My phone suddenly vibrates in my pocket and I pull it out, Otoya's name flashes on the screen.

_Where are you? It's getting late._

_Public Library. I'm on my way home._ Stifling a sigh, I put the phone back in my pocket and place the books back on the shelf. Seeing each book back in its proper place, I pull out my phone and dial the number for the usual taxi driver. After confirming my ride home, I rush down the stairs and out the front door. I slide in the car and after a brief hello to the driver, the scenic drive home starts. Gazing out the window, I notice the sun starting to set and the crescent moon slowly replacing its position in the sky. _No full moon for another two weeks or so. The books said full moon's effect werewolves, but they turn into wolves every night, so they aren't a reliable source right? So they don't have to kill the white wolf that bit them, right?_ Sighing, I rest my chin on my and glare at the passing scenery.

"You alright ma'am?" The driver asks, looking at me through the rearview mirror. I nod to him and he returns his eyes to the road. _We'll just have to solve this problem at a later point._ Closing my eyes, I patiently wait to see myself home.

* * *

"What did you need at the public library?" After dinner, I found myself in a similar situation from before, me drying dishes and Otoya washing them. While dinner seemed a bit tense, many of the guys seemed uncomfortable and no one seemed to bring up Ren and Masato's confession, we still managed to talk about the day's work and tell a few humorous stories. I look up at Otoya, the feeling of Déjà vucoming over me. Otoya stops washing for a moment and looks at me, a smile on his face and patiently waiting for an answer. Sighing, I look down at the dish cloth in my hands.

"I was looking up books on werewolf mythology..." I frown, remembering that the books at the library weren't of much use to me and that my trip was utterly pointless.

"Oh, really?" Otoya raise an eyebrow doesn't say anything, instead choosing to frown down at his hands. He continues washing the dishes and the room starts to fill with a suffocating awkward feeling. "So…" He glances at me. "Find anything interesting?"

Shaking my head, I reply, "I wanted to see if there was a cure to be a werewolf, but I came up empty handed. There was one book that said something of a cure," My thoughts suddenly flash and a scene of Masato and Ren attacking the white wolf appears. I shudder slightly at the thought and shake my head. "But it turned out to be a fake."

"A cure and you didn't find anything that could help?" Otoya furrows his brows and frowns. He sighs, "I'm not surprised. People still believe that werewolves aren't real. In fact, I keep thinking this is all a dream and that I'll wake up any moment now and laugh at how strange it seemed." The silence returns and he stops talking, clearly lost in thought. "But... I know that's not the case. I guess this whole werewolf thing is reality, huh?" I nod my head. "Though it makes me wonder how Ren and masa are handling the situation. It's been almost two weeks; do you think it's still strange to them?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean they seem… I don't know, comfortable? Like, it's not really something that bothers them. Or it's not something to feel shame over. Of course, they don't really talk about it that much, so maybe they're just trying to handle it themselves." Shrugging his shoulders, Otoya finishes the last of the dishes and dries his hands off. "I'll be heading to bed, if you don't need any other help. Good night Haruka!"

"Good night Otoya!" I dry the last of the dishes and wipe my hands. Making sure the kitchen is in order; I briskly walk out and down the hall, towards my own room. I pass by Ren and Masato's room, knowing it was empty. They go outside the second Ranmaru falls asleep and only return shortly before he wakes up. I cast a quick glance over at Syo and Natsuki's door. Both were probably asleep or getting ready for bed. Finally, I see Otoya and Tokiya's room, Otoya caught in the doorway and about to walk in. He notices me and smiles before waving me good night. The door shuts, a _click_ echoes audibly down the hall. Continuing upstairs, I make it to my room and swiftly shut the door behind me.

The second I'm inside, I change into a pair of pastel pajamas and brush my teeth. After, sitting down at my desk, I place a few of the stray pages into some folders. Pulling out some music sheets, I look through them before carefully organizing them in their correct places. Something pulls my gaze to the window, as I sit there staring at the balcony doors. Slowly, I walk over to it and open the pristine glass doors. I feel the cool night air roll in and across the floor as I take a hesitant step onto the freezing concrete. The cold seeps in through my bare feet as I walk closer to the balcony. My gaze wanders out over the trees as I see two wolves walking down the paved earth. They suddenly stop and look over their shoulders at me. I give them a quick wave and they continue on their way. I smile and close the windows. I stifled a yawn as I drag my feet over to my bed, pulling back the covers and resting my head down on the pillows. My stare ends up looking towards ceiling, as I start to think of Ren and Masato._ They're fine. They can take care of themselves._ I sigh and, turning onto my side, remember today's earlier events. _I'll look online tomorrow._ My eyes slowly drift close, exhaustion pulling me under sleeps veil.

* * *

_I blink and whip around to look at my surroundings, only to find myself in a grassy field. Not just any field, but the fields near my grandmother's home. Looking down, I notice I'm wearing the dress my grandma made for me. A soft breeze rolls by, causing the skirt to flutter slightly. Tall mountains surround me, keeping me in like gentle walls. My gaze goes up as I shield my eyes from a blinding light. The sun was shining with the occasional cloud drifting by, making everything seem as an ordinary summer day. "Hello? Is anyone here? Ren? Masato?" No sound came back, not even the chirping of insects. "Being by myself is fine, I suppose."_

_Turning around, I start walking over to my home. Though it seemed strange to me that no one would be around, it did mean I would have a chance to play the piano I first learned how to play on. My hand reaches for the handle of the front door, and even though the door didn't appear locked, it did not open for me. "Huh?" Grandma hardly ever locked the door, considering the fact we live quite a distance from any neighbors and no one around here hardly ever steal. A prickling sensation crawls up my spine and I freeze._

_A sudden shadow moves over me. I look up to see the sun being covered by a much darker cloud. The cloud starts to expand and grows darker with every second. The sky quickly becomes a battleground for thunder and lightning. Furrowing my brow, I walk down the front steps and onto the grass. A bolt of lightning strikes the ground in the distance. A dark mist glides down the hills from where the bolt struck. I look down at the grass under my feet. The grass starts to cripple and die, bright green becoming a sickly yellow. The yellow blades fade into ash as a strong wind sweeps by my feet. The sky and earth fill with a white mist. My fear continues to tingle up my spine, I shiver and look around._

"_Is anyone here?! Anyone?!" A harsh cracking sound starts to come from my home as the walls start to burn away like a paper in a flame. "No!" The building quickly falls into a pile of ash as a much stronger wind sweeps by. Without thinking, I reach out to grab the flecks of ash, but the pieces slip through my fingers. A sharp hissing sound comes from behind me causing me to freeze, and the same dreadful feeling from all those times before washes over me. I know how this will turn out, I've seen this many times. Dark gray clouds start to swirl past my feet as I turn around, they gather in front of me. They slowly morph into a monstrous shape. Something two times my size with glowing yellow eyes and razor sharp teeth the length of my hand stands just a few meters away. It's made of solid skin and fur, but if gives off smoke like wisp from every inch of its body. I try to force myself to take a step back, but my feet are glued to the ground. The thought of calling out for help crosses my mind, but I know I won't be able to at this point. I feel my legs go weak and I collapse to the ground, hands hanging by my side. My jaw hangs open as the monster saunters closer and closer to me. Its warm breath hits my face, as warm vapor is being forced out of its nostrils._

_Something in my mind snaps and a small rush of courage goes through me. But it wasn't enough; it only gave me the courage to move my arms. I raise them up to my face to shield myself as tears slide down my face. My body starts shaking in terror and I start to cry even harder. The temperature starts to drop and the ground becomes cold. I can hear the beast directly in front of me now, a disgusting sound like a hiss and a growl comes from its throat. A whimper escapes my lips and I bring my arms closer. "Please…" I whisper. "Don't hurt me…" The beast comes closer. "Not again..."_

_The monster starts to get ready to attack, clenching its muscles for a spring and jaws wide, ready to clamp down on me. I close my eyes as tight as I can, but I know it won't do any good. It feels like the cold is starting to seep into my very bones. It clenches my veins and my very blood feels like it's made of ice, but my shivering was not from the cold. Tears continue to stream down my face in buckets. "What did I do to deserve this?"_

_I feel a joyous warmth come by my side. The ice in my blood stream seems to melt as I feel myself being able to move again. Slowly crack open my eyes, fearing I might be within the jaws of the monster, but instead I saw something much different. A bright orange light appears on me left. The monster notices this light and stops its attack, and starts hissing at it, taking a few steps back. The orange light starts to change and turns into the form of a wolf. It appeared soft and made of smoke, and I reach out to touch its fur. It opens its eyes, light blue wisp coming from them. It nuzzles my hands and another warm feeling comes up to me. To my right, a blue light materializes, turning into a wolf as well. Its darker blue eyes glow wisp just like the other, and the wolf nuzzles my cheek as the tears dry under their touch. I reach out to place a hand on their heads and they meet my hands. The fur was soft and had such a comforting feeling to it. Through closer inspection, I've come to realize that neither of them have mouths._

_At this point, the monster has moved even farther away from me and is preparing to attack again. The two wolves walk in front of me as a growling noise comes from their throats. The beast looks at this like a challenge, and lunges forward, jaws open wide and aimed right at the wolves' throats. Despite not having mouths, they start forcing open their jaws, smoke like fur and skin starts to rip apart to make way for their fangs. The run forward, dodging the monster's jaws, and jump to bite down on its neck and shoulders._

_The scene seemed familiar, and in fact looked the same as when they saved me from before. I'd forgotten how scary it was then. Both the wolves and monster were having their flesh torn away only to have it grow back, but that didn't stop them from fighting. They're cries and yelps echo in the vast darkness. As the beast skin is torn away, blood falls in buckets on the ground and stops once its skin grows back again. I try to look away from the whole thing, but I find myself frozen in fear yet again. I know the wolves are protecting me, and of course I'm grateful to them, but that doesn't change the gruesome images their creating with their teeth. The monster is now ignoring me completely, and is doing whatever it can to rip off the two wolves, only able to tear off more of their fur. Tears come to my eyes again and my heart rate quickens. I try to focus on my breathing, to force my panic and fear back down, but I only start to breathe harder. It feels like the air around me is being sucked away._

_Something warm suddenly touches my shoulder and I jump but I can't bring myself to move and look at it. It nudges my shoulder again and even starts to nuzzle it. I look behind me and see a bright red light there, slowly changing into a wolf like the others. It opens its eyes to reveal slightly darker red wisp moving from them. Though it doesn't have a mouth like the others, I can tell it's happy to see me and a yip comes from its very being. It nudges my shoulder again and nuzzles my face. Its body gave off such a comforting warmth, I reach out to pet it and it doesn't flinch away, and meets my touch._

_The wolf begins jumping around; excited over something I had no idea about. It pushes its muzzle under my arm and tries to help me up. I feel its warmth giving me courage to stand and I successfully make it on my feet. I look down in shock, surprised that I was actually able to stand. Turning to the wolf, I smile a genuine smile, "Thank you." It runs around me a bit more, a red trail of smoke follows behind each step. It then runs off behind me, yipping excitedly. My gaze follows to see it running towards a bright light, the bright light of my home. I look behind me at the other wolves behind me. "Can they really take care of themselves?" The red wolf runs up to me and barks happily, nudging my arm and tugging on my dress. I gaze down at it and it looks up at me with hopeful eyes. My smile grows, "You're right. They can handle themselves. I have to trust them…" The wolf begins tugging on my dress again and runs off to the light. Laughing, I run into the waiting light, joining the all too familiar wolf._

* * *

Yawning, I stretch in my bed. I lay unmoving staring at nothing, a grin plastered on my face. Hurriedly, I get out of bed and start to get dress. That dream filled me with such a strong sense of happiness; I must have been smiling in my sleep the whole time. The smile doesn't die as I rush out the door the second I'm fully dressed. I walk down the halls with a bounce in my step, smile still on my face. Carefully, I down the grand steps of the main hall and head off toward the kitchen. I come up to the living room, STARISH already gathered there on the couch and chairs. "Good morning!" They don't seem to hear me, and I quickly walk up to them. The atmosphere of the room hits me head on. Something didn't seem right and my smile drops instantly.

Ren and Masato were both standing off to the side, both scowling at nothing in particular. Syo was sitting in his usual one person chair, arms folded and a frown on his face. Natsuki stood close by him, frowning just the same as Syo. Cecil and Tokiya were sitting on the couch, Otoya sitting between the two. Though Cecil and Tokiya both seemed worried, Otoya looked scared as his eyes were wide open and staring at the empty place in front of him. I was about to say something until I noticed the blood soaked bandages around Otoya's arm, his hand was grasping it tightly and shaking heavily. My eyes go wide and for the third time, the world froze all around me. It was in this moment that I felt a sudden disgusting feeling wash over me; dread.

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**Thanks to everyone who reviewed for the last chapter! I hope you all continue to review, follow, and favorite this story in the future!**


	8. Chapter 8

Ren snarled, pacing from side to side in an angry huff. "How hard can it be to not go outside at night?! Really, how hard?!" He clenches his fist before running a hand through his hair, while Otoya looks down at his arm with worry. The others don't say anything, though they seemed surprised that Ren was acting so aggressively.

"Ren," Masato looks up at him, arms crossed and glare apparent. "Let's listen to his side of the story first. I'm sure there's a reason behind the attack." He nods to Otoya. Ren has stopped pacing but instead crossed his arms, waiting for an answer. His glare remained but he seemed curious as to what has happened.

Otoya gulps before looking up from his arm and staring directly at Ren. "I never went outside. That wolf came in here. When I got up last night to get myself some water, that thing lept through the kitchen window and attacked me." He rubs his arm. "I know, I should have called for help sooner. I'm sorry..."

Ren's anger fades slightly. "Oh…" He relaxes for a second before the feeling of guilt shows up on his face. "I suppose it's our fault then, huh?" He glares at the floor.

Masato nods in agreement. "If we had stayed closer to the dorm, we probably could've stopped it before it broke in. We're sorry, Otoya." I furrow my brow, at their response. _That was a quick change in attitude._ My thoughts flash back to the books I read at the library and I let out a sigh. _Werewolves are known to be aggressive or have mood swings._

Otoya seems taken back by their statement but he raises his hands quickly, waving them somewhat frantically. "No, no. Don't go blaming yourselves! It was partially my fault too you know!" He frowns and rubs his arm again. "Though, I would have preferred that the incident never happened."

Hesitantly, I take a step toward him. "I'm so sorry Otoya, I wish there was something we could have done to prevent this..."

"Don't worry. I'm sure it's not so bad, being a werewolf…" He fakes a smile. And the usual awkward silence creeps into the room. Ren is still glaring at the floor, arms crossed and clutching each arm tightly. Masato seemed much more calm than Ren and kept his eyes closed, breathing evenly. The others have remained silent so far, and seemed to be caught in their own little worlds.

Otoya stops rubbing his arm and stands up abruptly. "I have the day off, but... I think I'll go visit those kids today. Maybe being around them could do me some good." He forces a smile and walks away slowly.

Ren places a hand on his shoulder as he passes him. Otoya stops and looks over at him. "We'll see you tonight, and wear loose clothing." He mutters a soft 'I'm sorry' to him and removes his hand from his shoulder. Otoya hesitantly nods at him before picking up his pace and leaving the room more quickly.

Ren sighs and, rubbing the back of his neck, looks at Masato. "Do you think we should look around the spot where he was attacked? We might be able to track the wolf down or even find some more evidence." Masato nods in agreement and they leave the room just as quickly. While the others looked up as they were leaving, Ren and Masato didn't look at them at all, instead staring straight ahead.

Figuring there was no other reason to stay; I move to leave too but Tokiya's voice stops me. "Wait, just a second, Haruka. Can we talk to you for a moment?" Turning around, I softly tilt my head, before Tokiya gestures to an empty seat. Nodding, I take a seat on the couch, adjacent of Syo and Natsuki. I nod my head to them and Tokiya moves to take the empty seat next to me. "I- We… don't think you should go anywhere with them by yourself for now." The others nod in agreement and though Cecil seems to hesitate, he nods anyway.

My heart suddenly starts beating faster and I look frantically between all of them. "What? Why not?"

Syo sighs. "We don't think… it's safe to be around them…" He gulps and looks away from me.

I stand up abruptly; Tokiya seems taken back by the sudden movement and raises his hand to calm me down. "No! How could any of you think like that? You've all been friends for years now! What makes you think they're not safe?!" My hands find their way directly over my heart, and were clasped tightly together there. _There's nothing wrong! They aren't dangerous!_

"It's just that," Natsuki frowns and looks down. "Well, think about it. The werewolf that attacked Otoya and the others is a person just like them right? They're most likely another human."

Biting my lip, I stutter, "Uh… Well, yes but-"

"This is a person who went out of their way to attack another human being. Either because they're a bad person or because they couldn't control their wolf side…" Natsuki frowns before continuing, "And to add to that, perhaps it could've been Masato or Ren that bit him. They might have lost control of themselves or-"

"No! That would _never_ happen! Ren and Masato would never be able to do that to him or anyone!" By now, my heart is beating faster than I can count. My hands were trembling as I try to steady my breathing. _It's all lies. They're kind people who would never hurt any of us…_

Syo coughs lightly. "I think what Natsuki means," Syo looks me directly in the eye, glare apparent. "Is that what if Ren and the others lose control of themselves? What if they were to hurt you or even worse?"

I frown at Syo then look up at Cecil. He made a face, a face filled with sorrow, guilt, and every other emotion I was feeling. His message was clear: They _could_ be right. Looking around at the others, I try to muster up a glare. "N-none of you were there when they... saved me," I try to keep my voice steady, only to fail miserably. "But... I know for a fact," I force myself to speak the next sentence as clear as possible, no cracks or breaks. "We're all a lot safer with them by our side. None of you should have any reason to fear them." Turning on my heel, I walk briskly down the hall towards my room, not bothering to see their faces. I woefully walk up the stairs when moments before I skipped down them happy as could be.

As I make it to my room, I resist the urge to slam the door. Sighing, I sit down at my desk and lay my head on my arms. "They're good people, werewolf or otherwise. I know they are." I place my hand out in front of me and start scratching at the desk, thin, small pieces of wood break off from the table. Sighing once again, I sit up straight and pull out the music sheets from the drawer. _There's work to be done. I have more music to write._ Placing my pencil on the paper, I start writing the first thing that comes to mind. I get to the third line before frowning and tossing the paper into the trash. Shaking my head, I start writing something new, only to end up on the second line before tossing that paper into the trash as well. Bringing out a third piece of paper, I glare at it before tossing it aside; my pencil never even touched it. I groan and make my way to my bed, laying on my back and staring up at the featureless ceiling. _I guess composing is out of the question for now._

A soft tapping sound comes from the glass window. Look up, I see Cecil there, patiently waiting for me to let him in. I sigh before slowly getting up and unlocking the window. Cecil takes a few hesitant steps into my room before sitting down on my bed. Following his lead, I slowly make my way to my bed before taking a spot next to him. "I'm sorry…" He looks down at his hands and frowns.

Looking away, I don't say anything for a moment, letting his words sink in. "Why would any of you think like that? And why would you agree with them? You know they won't hurt any of us." I wait for his reply but he doesn't say anything, so I choose to gaze out the window and watch as the clouds lazily go by.

"We're just…" He sighs and looks at his hands again, clearly trying to think of an appropriate word. "...We're… Well, I guess the word would be… scared." He looks away, a faint blush started to rise up on his face. "We're not sure how to react to this whole thing. It's new and were unsure of how this affects them and us. We were just trying to think of your safety. If Ren and Masato were to suddenly lose control of themselves, you could be hurt. We just want to keep you safe..."

I give him a skeptical look before slowly starting to smile fondly. _Just like the wolves in my dreams…_ Looking down at my hands, I don't say anything. Cecil shifts slightly, probably uncomfortable with the silence of the room. "You know I had another dream last night." He looks at me, a curious gaze in his green eyes.

"Oh, a dream?" He waits patiently for me to continue. I smile at him and nod.

"The monster from before came back to attack me…"

Cecil's eyes suddenly go wide. "Did the wolves from before abandon you?" A look of shock appears on my face.

"No, never!" Looking away, I stare down at my lap instead. "Well, actually... I sort of... left them. Or I was actually led away." I pause to choose my words more carefully, Cecil nods encouragingly at me. "Well, those two wolves, Ren and Masato, they stood between me and the monster. They attacked it and fought it fiercely… The thing is, I was actually scared. Not of them being wolves or anything, no!" There's a short pause. "I was scared of how viciously they were trying to protect me. They looked like they would kill for my safety. Seeing such calm people show such intense violence made me worry. While they were fighting, another wolf came up to me; a red wolf that filled me with courage and warmth, and seemed to give off a wave of happiness. It led me away from the fight and towards the light." A smile graced my lips. "It kept me from seeing the violent side of others."

"A red wolf, one that filled you with happiness?" I nod, lost in thought over the dreams of last night. Cecil abruptly stands up. "Haruka, do you understand what's going on? Your dreams clearly have a connection with what's going on!"

I stare at him dumbfounded, gaze blank. "Huh?"

"Think about it. You have a dream about a red wolf that suddenly appeared. A wolf that filled you with happiness! And just last night, Otoya was attacked and became a werewolf! Haruka, I'm almost positive that your dreams have a firm connection with what's going on." He grins excitedly.

"What? Are you sure?" The whole thing seemed too outrageous, though I suppose the word outrageous has lost its effect over the course of the past few days. "I don't know. I had a dream the night Ren and Masato saved me, so it might not mean much."

"Maybe, but the wolf appeared before you learned that Otoya became a werewolf. You had a dream of those wolves saving you _after_ they saved you. I think my theory might be right." He sits down beside me and waits for me to respond, a huge grin on his face.

"Uh, well…" I think back to the dream last night. _It is a bit odd that I would dream that. And Cecil's theory is probably correct._ "You… may be right. Actually, I think you are right! It seems like it would make a lot of sense right now."

"Hm, I have an idea. If your dreams are connected to this whole werewolf scenario, I think it could be useful to us. I think you're able to tell if someone else becomes a werewolf." He smiles at me once again before frowning suddenly. "Oh sorry, I shouldn't be forcing you for answers or anything."

"Uh, well… it's just that these dreams don't happen every night, only most nights. The nightmares tend to be more frequent than the dreams themselves. I don't think it would be the most reliable way to figure out if someone's going to become a werewolf. Besides, we don't even know if anyone else will become werewolves in the future. And I think Ren and Masato would like to keep it that way."

He nods, still frowning. "Well… okay then." Standing up, he starts to head toward the door. "If you happen to have another wolf show up in your dreams, let me know. Perhaps we can prevent any more of us becoming werewolves." He smiles thoughtfully then turns and leaves through the wooden archway.

Sighing, I go over to my desk and open the drawer, pulling out a notepad. Quickly, I write down a few bullet points:

1. Werewolves wills are weaker at night.

2. Werewolves can change freely during the day.

3. Werewolves are made by being bitten by another werewolf.

4. Werewolves show aggressiveness and mood swings.

I furrow my brow and stare down at the list of what I know. It's not a complete list, but it's better than nothing. Tearing off the sheet, I carefully put it in my pocket. Taking long strides, I across the floor and leave my room swiftly. I try to think of where the nearest computer might be, but unfortunately the dorm doesn't have a room specifically for computers. _Ai has a computer, maybe he'll let me look up facts about werewolves on it._ Smiling, I start moving my feet even faster. I round the corner and head down the stairs. I pause in front of Syo and Natsuki's room before knocking on the door. Someone shuffles on the other side and the door suddenly swings open, Syo standing there, clearly in a rush.

"Oh hey, Haruka. I can't talk for too long right now, I have to get going to a recording." He moves in front of the door and is about to close it before I stop him.

"I'm actually here to see Ai. I wanted to ask him something." Syo looks at me with a confused expression before moving aside and gesturing inside.

Before I have the chance to walk through, he softly grabs my wrist. "Hey... I'm sorry for what happened earlier. You're probably right about them, we shouldn't doubt them. I'm sorry."

A smile finds its way to my lips and I nod knowingly, "I know you are. It's okay; don't worry too much over it." He smiles in return, nodding as well, before turning around and leaving down the hall. Hesitantly I walk into his room, door shutting behind me. I quickly spot Ai to my right and muster, "Hello, Ai." He was sitting as his desk, keyboard placed in front of him with the computer light flashing in his face. He turns around; the same neutral expression was there, though he seemed slightly surprised that I was there.

"Haruka, for whatever reason are you here?" He swivels his chair in my direction.

Gulping, I step closer, while wringing my hands as well. "I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you. Uh… You see-"

"You want to borrow my computer, right?" He raises an eyebrow.

My mouth gapes at him. "Well... yes! But how did you-"

"I'm the only one here who you know that owns one." He shrugs and moves back to his computer screen. Lazily, he gestures for me to step closer. I hesitantly walk up to him and was about to repeat my question before he suddenly flashes a folded up piece of paper in my face. "I think you'll want this." Pausing, I carefully grasp the paper in his hand. He cast me a glance before looking back at his computer. I cautiously open the piece of paper; a numbered list written in neat handwriting was on it:

1. They seem to be slightly more aggressive than average humans.

2. They haven't really expressed any strange cravings so far, despite being part wolf now.

3. They are incredibly protective of other pack members.

4. They don't seem to have obtained a strong sense of violence from any of this.

I look at Ai, flipping the paper over in my hand than raising it up to my face to closely examine it. His expression remains neutral as he looks at me. "It's the only information I could receive from pure observations. I'm afraid the internet is not as reliable as you might think it could be." I stare at him in complete and utter shock. _What?! Ai-?!_ My mouth hangs open, my eyes go wide, and the paper drops from my hands. He notices the shock written across my face and reaches for the paper on the ground. Ai places it back in my hands and guides me to the door. I'm too surprised to go against him, and he finally gets me outside of his shared room. "I don't plan on telling anyone anytime soon. I still don't understand what's going on entirely. My data says something like this couldn't possibly exist, but I suppose I'll have to try researching the matter more." The door slams behind me, the echo rings in my ears and all I can do is stand in utter shock over the sudden revelation. _Is there anyone who doesn't know?!_

* * *

**Ah, it looks like there are a lot of people who favor Otoya. As always, your reviews are appreciated and I hope to receive more in the future! Feel free to review this chapter, or favorite and follow the story! Thanks again!**

**On another note, my deviantART page has pictures of the wolves already up, so feel free to go there as well. The account is under the same name.**


	9. Chapter 9

Goosebumps crawl up my arm as I shiver in the cold night air, rubbing my arms to try and keep warm. _I should have brought a jacket or worn a long sleeve shirt._ I look behind me at the dorm building and debate whether or not to go back to get something warmer, but I push the thought aside and decide that I'll stay warmer if I keep up at a steady pace. A sudden warmth envelopes my hand and I look up to see Otoya's smiling face.

"We need to keep up with the others you know. We'll stay warmer if we move a bit faster." He flashes a smile again as I nod my head. Ren and Masato walked a bit farther ahead, both in loose clothing, and would stop occasionally to look over their shoulders and back at us. We nod to them and try to catch up with them. As we come closer to them, I can't help but watch the red head with worry. Otoya winces with every step we take. His breathing is already starting to come out in short puffs and his shirt has gotten a few drops of sweat on it. Even though we've just started this walk, he looks like he's been walking for hours. He looked like he wouldn't last for more than a few steps, but he kept going nonetheless.

"Little lamb, I was surprised that you were so eager to come with us." Ren looks back at me and smirks. "Of course, it wouldn't be good for you to stay up too long; beauty sleep and all that." He winks at me, a faint blush starting to rise up on my cheeks. Earlier, I had actually begged them to take me with them. They refused at first, but after I told them that I would be safer by their sides they, reluctantly, agreed.

Masato glares at the long haired man. "Ren, this is hardly the time for that. We have more pressing matters to attend to." Ren cast a glance in his general direction but otherwise doesn't respond and keeps walking.

"I'm actually a little glad you're here." Otoya looks down at me and beams reassuringly. "Having you here calms my nerves a little." I nod to him, another blush rising up to my cheeks.

"I wanted to be here with you all. I think it would make me feel safer." Blushing deeply, I avert my gaze from everyone. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Otoya smile yet again, but the others seem a little worried to hear me say that. We continue walking in the silence of the night, the occasional cricket would chirp as we pass by.

"So," Otoya glances at Ren and Masato. He's dragging his feet a little now and I try to urge him to keep walking. I hook my arm under his and try to push up against his weight. He mouths to me a 'thank you' and tries to keep going on his own. He speeds up for only a moment before returning to his original pace. "Anything I should know about this whole werewolf business? Like what's it like or what I'll do?" He trails off as Masato glances back at him.

"There isn't much to tell you. It wasn't _too_ painful when it happened to me. As for what you'll do, it's a complete mystery. Though I doubt you'll do anything regrettable." Masato returns his gaze to the path in front of him. His eyes widen suddenly and he slows down.

Ren stops and I look up to see a huge open field of grass before us. It was dark out of course, the moon wasn't even close to a full one, but the night seemed more calm and peaceful. A faint wind rolls by and rustles the grass and castaway leaves. Ren and Masato quickly take a few looks around, most likely checking to see if anyone happened to be out at this hour. Seeing that no one was around, they sigh in relief. "Right here seems like a good spot." He nods to himself and looks over at Otoya. "Shouldn't be too hard, if you just relax and try not to fight it, it'll be over quicker than you might think." Otoya nods and removes his arm from my side. He staggers forward and stands with his back to us. Taking a deep breath, he cast a glance back.

"No words of encouragement? No tips to tell me?" Otoya frowns and looks between Ren and Masato. "Maybe a reason for why I'm wearing this." He gestures to his baggy clothing.

"Yea," Ren awkward rubs the back of his neck. "Your clothes don't exactly change with you." Otoya frowns slightly in confusion and blushes when he looks over to me. I cock my head to the side before I realize the situation and blush more deeply than he does. _Does that mean…?_

Masato look towards me as well before looking away, a faint shade of red rising on his cheeks. He coughs before sighing and looks down. "And I'm afraid we have no way of helping you…" He looks down at his feet and refuses to meet the others gaze. Otoya forces a smile and turns away from us. I hear him take a deep breath and slowly exhale it out.

The process was quick and over within less than a minute. Pale skin became bright red fur, hands changed into paws while legs and arms shortened and became an even length. A bushy red tail came out of a human spine while round human ears became pointed animal ones. I was afraid that if I blinked, I might miss the whole thing. Surprisingly, the werewolf transformation came easy to him. I thought it would be too painful to go through with, but I guess having a few close friends nearby made him relax a little. Within just a few moments, a red wolf stood where Otoya once stood. When it was over, I expected him to be scared or surprised, but he seemed incredibly calm. The wolf looked around at his surroundings then back at us. His baggy clothes made him look silly as a wolf and I tried to stifle a laugh. His fur was the same color as his hair, but his chest, paws, and the tip of his tail were white.

"We'll join you in a moment. You should probably take this time to get used to it." Masato nods at him. He nods in response before looking at the open field and hesitantly walks out into it. After he takes a few more steps forward, he raises his head at something in the distance and bounds after it, yipping and barking excitedly while the articles of clothing glide off his body. Ren chuckles a bit at the act and sits down on the cool grass.

I comment, "He certainly seems excited."

"Well," Ren glances up at me. "Someone like him that gives off a wave of happiness and then suddenly getting a surge of energy like this, I'm not entirely surprised." Masato takes a seat on the ground as well and I sit between the two of them.

"I was worried that he might over react to the whole thing, but he's taking it surprisingly well…" Masato closes his eyes, probably enjoying the bliss of the night. I look up to see a red blur run across the field.

I smile and giggle a bit at him. "Did either of you act this way, your first time?"

Ren shakes his head. "Not even close. My first night was a bit too confusing for me to react the same way as Otoya is now."

"As for me," Masato glances once more at Otoya before looking back at me. "I didn't act as childish as Otoya."

Ren chokes on his laughter. "Oh please, you went and looked through every nook and cranny as a wolf. You were like a curious little puppy. And then there was the incident with that den."

Masato blushes before forcing a glare at Ren. "You! You should've warned me in the first place! You knew it was there before I did!"

Ren rolls his eyes in a playful manner. "Come on, you should've smelled the den before you were even close to it. If anything, you knew it was there by the time you fell in. That tanuki was really mad at you too."

"I know, it let me know how mad it was when it attacked my face! I was fortunate it didn't do any real damage." Ren chuckles at Masato's obvious embarrassment, before he turns to look at me.

"Haruka, I will personally escort you back to the dorm in just a moment." Ren smirks and takes my hand as a soft blush starts to rise on my cheeks.

Masato cast a glare in his direction. "I think you should stay here for the time being while _I_ escort Haruka back home. After all, you've been a werewolf much longer than I have. You'll be more useful to Otoya than I could be."

Ren gives a look of disappointment before shrugging, "Alright, if that's the best way to go."

"Uh, t-thank you." Nodding my head to Masato, he gives me the slightest smile. We sit in the silence of the night, watching Otoya run about the whole field. He looked happy being able to run like that, energy at its peak and out in the open. But something odd struck me about the whole scene. I glance between Ren and Masato. Both seemed to be just fine considering how they looked a few nights ago. In fact, neither of them looked tired nor in pain, unlike before. "You guys looks remarkably better than on the night you saved me." They both look at me, faces blank until Ren suddenly smiles.

"We got in some practice over the past few nights."

"It's a surprise that Otoya was able to fight it for so long, especially since it's his first time changing." Masato adds. "I was worried he'd change while we're still in the dorms, but we're fortunate he was able to hold it off for so long."

"Right, but I was just wondering. If you guys can fight it for so long, why bother changing to wolves at all? You don't necessarily have to become wolves do you?"

Their smiles drop. Masato sighs and looks out into the field again. "To be honest, if you weren't here with us now, we probably would've changed to wolves already." He shifts his legs and stands up. "Not that we have to, but… it's just easier being the wolf than forcing ourselves to fight it." He raises his hand to his mouth for a moment before bringing his hand back to his side. "It's getting late already. Shall we go?" He extends out a hand and helps me to my feet. Ren gets on his feet as well and looks out into the field, eyes on Otoya. "Keep a close eye on him. We'll see you both back at home." Ren nods before turning into a wolf and chasing after Otoya, clothes fluttering off as well. "Let's hurry before it gets too cold." He takes my arm and we start walking back.

The night still remained so peaceful. Only the sounds of nature broke through the barrier of silence. Every cricket was awake and chirping to their hearts content while all the birds slept away in the treetops. It's truly a tranquil time, but not for me. I shift my gaze down to the ground before shifting them towards Masato. He hasn't said anything for quite some time, and the eerie quiet of the night is making me feel uncomfortable. Though he seemed perfectly fine with walking in silence, I wasn't and the awkward feeling under my skin wasn't going to go away anytime soon. _Think of something to say._ "Uh… So…" I gnaw on my bottom lip and furrow my brow. "Beautiful night, isn't it?" Masato only glances at me before nodding. I mentally sigh in frustration. _Oh, he mentioned something earlier didn't he?_ Looking back up at him, I ask, "Why are you all meeting back at home tonight? Don't you usually stay away from the buildings around here?"

He keeps walking, face forward but gaze on me. The angle made it seem as if he was glaring and I squeak under his eyes. "Usually, we do like to keep away from the buildings, in case anyone were to see us and get suspicious. However, due to recent events, we'll be keeping a bit closer to home to prevent anymore future accidents."

"But aren't you worried that someone will see you?"

Sighing, he stops walking, causing me pause as well and wait for him. "Of course, being near the building will mean we're putting ourselves and others in danger. However, I think it's… worth it… if it means protecting you and the others." He starts walking again, eyes still forward. I keep my eyes locked on him for a while before grinning wildly. He notices my grin and raises an eyebrow. "Is there something I did that amused you?"

I giggle. "It's just that, someone as cool and calm as you suddenly giving off the overprotective hero aura is quite a big difference. I know you care about me and everyone else, but I didn't know you cared _this_ much."

He closes his eyes and turns away before softly smiling. "It would seem that my appearance isn't the only thing that changed with being a werewolf. Ever since that night, it seems like we've been given a bigger task at hand." He smiles slightly. "I guess being a werewolf gives us a level of… over protectiveness." We share a smile before continuing toward the dorms. The silence returns to us again, but it's a comfortable one. One that makes me feel as if I understand everything a little better.

The building appears within sight and I sigh in relief. Though the journey to the field seemed to be short, the walk back turned out to be incredibly long. Looking up at Masato, he looks down at me and smiles.

The smile on his face suddenly disappears and he snaps his head toward the trees near by. He doesn't move and keeps his gaze on the trees. He glares at whatever is in the bushes and raises his lips in a growl. Masato moves his arm and raises it out in front of me, as if the block me from something. His hand slowly reaches for my shoulder and he pushes me behind him slightly.

"Haruka, stay close by, if anything happens; I want you to run to the dorms as quickly as you can. Do not look back, just run." His voice seemed on edge and he continues glaring off into the bushes.

"But what about y-"

"I'll be fine. Right now _you_ are my main concern." Something snaps not too far away and I whirl around to see where it came from. I glance back at Masato, hoping for an answer, but he's already become a wolf, clothes cast aside, and growling at whatever was near. He takes a few steps closer to me and continues growling at something in the bushes, his tail lightly wraps around my slender legs.

I feel my heart skip a beat and something gets stuck in my throat. The white wolf from before was slowly coming out of the bushes. It had a vicious look in its yellow tinted eyes and a row of gleaming white teeth behind pulled back lips. A trail of drool fell from its lips and dripped onto the concrete. It emits a sharp bark at us and growls ferociously, stepping closer. I glance at Masato, hoping to ask him about it, only to see him acting the same as the other wolf; back hunched and lips pulled back into a snarl. He pulls his lips back and growls sharply. Moving around him slightly, I get a quick look into his eyes. His pupils were dilated and a sudden shiver of fear goes up my spine.

"Masato?" He doesn't even glance in my direction but he does take a step closer to the other wolf. It walks forward as well, thought trying not to get too close to the blue wolf. The two start circling each other, both crouched low to the ground and still growling. Slowly, I step back from them, glancing at the dorm building.

_Just like before. I can get away. I can run straight home._ Hesitantly, I start making my way toward the dorm. The white wolf suddenly looks in my direction and jumps in front of me, growling and barking more harshly than before. A yelp escapes me as I fall back onto the ground. Masato leaps in front of me and immediately lunges for the throat of the other wolf.

The white wolf must have anticipated this and dodged Masato's fangs, ducking under him and lunging upwards, teeth locking onto soft skin. Masato yelps before quickly recovering and digging his teeth into nearest patch of skin he could reach. Unfortunately, he was only able to reach the ear of the white wolf. The white wolf starts throwing its head side to side, trying to tear off more of its prey's flesh. It gets Masato onto his back and he starts using his claws to get the other off. His scratches do nothing as the white wolf continues digging its teeth into soft skin. He's clearly not winning and started struggling rather than fighting.

_Help him! Now!_ Nodding in determination, I don't even take a half a step forward before I find myself in fears grasp. The tearing skin, the falling blood, and the pained cries of an animal became burned straight into my mind. I fall to my knees; all feeling in them has vanished. Weakly, I raise up my arms, hoping that the simple motion will stop it from hurting Masato. "Please…" It gets a better hold on its victim's neck. "Don't hurt him…" Masato's attacks have become weaker. The tears have been falling for a while now. "Not again…" I whisper.

The sudden sound of claws on cement tear my eyes away from the horrific scene to see a pale orange wolf and a red wolf running towards the white one. The both lunge for it and immediately latch on to its flesh. Otoya gets a hold of the white wolf's throat and keeps a firm grasp on it. Ren lets go and runs over to Masato, who was now lying on the ground, eyes half lidded. He moves his snout under him and tosses him onto his back before running towards me and gently setting him down. My hands shoot out to hug him and I hold him close to me. Looking up at Ren, he nods to me. I whisper, "I've got him now."

Otoya suddenly lands on the ground near us and Ren quickly turns around and lunges for the white wolf again. The white wolf tries to dodge the teeth aimed for its throat, but Ren dives lower and aims for its stomach instead, successfully digging his teeth in. Otoya makes a swift recovery and lunges for the throat of the enemy wolf again. The white wolf doesn't have time to react and ends up with yet another mouth on its body.

I force my eyes away from the scene in front of me and down to the body lying in my arms. Masato's breathing was even, but his eyes were closed. Carefully, I place my hand on the fur of his throat and he whimpers in his sleep. There was surprisingly very little blood on him compared to what I've just seen. He was still bleeding a lot on some parts of his neck, probably where the longer fangs actually dug into the skin. I place my hand on his head and feel a large bump near the base of his skull. _He must have gotten his head slammed into the ground pretty hard._ My hands seems to move on their own, as I start running them along his coat and feel that it's actually quite thick. _Was it the thick fur that saved his life from the jaws of death?_ I continue petting him but he doesn't wake up.

A sharp yelp emits from in front of me and I quickly look up. The white wolf was limping and backing away slowly. Ren and Otoya take a few more steps near it, both growling and barking harshly, and it dashes off into the bushes again, a small trail of blood following. Sighing in relief, I look down at the wolf in my arms. Ren, in human form, walks closer and places a hand on Masato's shoulder. I blush, realizing the lack of clothes on him, and look away entirely though Ren either doesn't notice or doesn't care. He takes a closer look at Masato's throat and checks to see if he's breathing.

He releases a sigh of relief. "I think he'll recover just fine. Werewolves heal at a faster rate than humans. For now, he should just sleep and regain his strength."

I exhale quickly and smile, the redness in my cheeks still remaining. "T-that's a relief! As long as he'll recover, that's all that matters."

Otoya, still in wolf form, comes closer and whimpers at Ren. He paws at Masato's snout and then at Ren's legs. "I don't know what to tell you about how to change back, that's all up to you. Though since you're new to all this, I don't really expect you to be able to turn back tonight. We'll have to find someplace to sleep till morning."

Hearing the conversation between to two, I do my best to ignore Ren's current state, looking between two before asking Ren, "You understood that?"

They both look in my direction. "Sort of, I just barely made out the words 'me', 'change', and 'back'. I don't speak wolf very well, but the wolf inside me does."

"Oh…" Ren still hasn't noticed the predicament he's currently in, so I find myself looking away again. "A-And you need to find a place to rest tonight? Where do you and Masato usually sleep when you guys are out at night?"

Ren nods off into the woods. "There a sort of shelter under the roots of a tree out there; it's a type of den really. Found it on my first night as a wolf and made sure it was well hidden and safe. But considering the fact that that wolf is still out there crosses it off the list."

My thoughts flash back to our home, the Master Course building. "The dorms are the safest place to be." I mumble to myself.

Ren glances at me. "Hm, dorms? You think Ranmaru or Reiji will be accepting to letting a wolf sleep in the same room as them?"

I put up my hands and frantically wave them to and fro. "No! Of course not! But there are all those spares rooms on my floor."

Ren smirks. "As much as I would love to be even closer to you, I don't think Masato could bear to be seen on the women's floor. Besides, imagine how our seniors would react." Otoya whimpers and paws at his legs again. Ren listens intently to the various barks and whimpers of Otoya before sighing heavily. "I suppose you have a point. We need to get somewhere safe and the empty rooms of the women's dorms are our best bet." Otoya nods before suddenly dashing.

"Where is he-"

"To get our clothes," Ren smirks at me once more before sinking lower to the ground. "You didn't think I'd notice the situation? Though I no longer mind, I'm sorry you have to see me in this state."

My face feels like its burning at this point, but I still manage to ask, "No longer? You mean you're not bothered by it _anymore_?"

Ren smirks before replying, "When you're body becomes covered in fur in one night, and you're clothes no longer feel comfortable, it kind of takes the embarrassment away."

Otoya returns with a few articles of clothing in his mouth. Ren thanks him and puts on a pair of pants. The warm feeling in my cheeks goes down slightly, but I still feel the blush on them. Ren looks down at Masato before scooping him up in his arms and walking towards the building. Otoya nudges my arm before grabbing the rest of the clothes on the ground and fitting them between his jaws. Standing up, I follow them back. "Let's try to be as quiet as possible, I'd hate for someone to wake up and see our current situation." Nodding to Ren, I smile before picking up the pace and following them back.

As were walking, I notice a few minor scrapes and cuts along Ren's body. I glance down at Otoya, and though he seemed to hiding it well, it was obvious that he was limping from the fight. I shake my heads of the thoughts. _Werewolves heal quickly._ Carefully, we walk up the stone steps of the building. I take a quick peek inside the entrance before gesturing for the others to follow. We walk more slowly up the steps on the inside, the hallways are mostly tile and marble, so sounds have a tendency to echo. We make our way to my floor and I start trying the different doors, trying to find one that wasn't locked by turning the knob of each door. Though most remained locked, I knew they would be, at the end of the hall was an unlocked room with furniture covered in plastic and a plastic covered rug as well. We kick up some of the dust upon entering; Ren and I cough in the stuffy air while Otoya sneezes. Hurriedly, I walk over to the window and open it up.

"Just to air out the room a bit," I tell them. "I'm sorry it's not the best place to be because of all the dust, but it's probably the safest room for you all right now."

Ren shakes his head. "Its fine, the bed probably isn't that dusty since it's covered in plastic." Otoya dashes over to a desk and lays the clothes down on it before he runs over to the bed and grabs onto the plastic, pulling a fraction of it off. Ren carefully places the unconscious Masato onto the bed, moving him into a more comfortable position, while Otoya pulls away the last of the plastic. Steadily, I walk over to the bed and note it's larger than average size. Most of the rooms have fairly large beds but this one seemed to be king sized if not bigger. I look around the room once more and notice the way the furniture is set up. _An executive room perhaps?_ My attention snaps back to Masato as I run my hand through his fur. Admiring the soft texture, a smile graced my lips.

I look up at Ren and tilt my head slightly. "Will you be going back to your room tonight?"

He shakes his head, long out of place hairs swaying to and fro. "No. I don't want to think of what might happen if Ranmaru catches me. Besides, it's still night time and uh… the wolf still wants to be out right now..."

I furrow my brow before suddenly smiling. "It sounds like you're treating that wolf like a friend or a companion." Ren scoffs and looks away, and I can't help but chuckle at the act.

"It's getting late. I think you should head to bed soon." I nod.

"Ok. Good night Ren, Otoya," Looking at Masato, I carefully place my hand on his head. "Masato." I head for the door, cautious of the dust on the floor. When I make it to the door, I look back. Otoya and Ren, both wolves, were lying on the bed next to Masato and laying down after the night they just had. Otoya looks at Ren, whimpering softly. Ren yips in return before laying his head down in his paws and leaning it towards Masato. Otoya stares at him for a moment before placing his head down next to Masato's. Smiling at them, I quietly close the door behind me.

* * *

**These chapters just keep getting longer and longer. This one came out to be about 7 pages or so. I'm surprised really.**

**Anway, please remember to review, favorite, or follow this story if you enjoyed it!**


	10. Chapter 10

Breakfast was incredibly awkward that morning. Otoya, Ren, and Masato all looked exhausted from the night before and I've noticed that Masato has gained some faint marks along his throat. Though they could been seen as weeks old, I was surprised to see them already healing. _I should add that to the list._ Glancing at the others, I see that they've noticed the marks on Masato's throat as well. Of course, they didn't say anything about them yet, though they would periodically glance at them. Besides that, they did their best to avoid the others gazes and kept exchanging uneasy looks with each other. Cecil, though he looked worried, didn't act the same as them and only made the whole setting slightly less awkward for me at least.

I couldn't help but frown at the setting in front of me. _It's like everyone's so divided._ Though there's no denying that the guys were trying to go about their day like it was normal. I stab the food on my plate and put it in my mouth, chewing slowly. Despite having a wonderful palette of delicious food, it all tasted bland in my dry mouth. Looking up, I make eye contact with Cecil as he nods at me. I shake my head. He flashes me a look of encouragement. Once again, I shake my head. He raises a brow and glances at the others, nodding subtly. Sighing in defeat, I look over at Masato.

"How did you sleep last night?" Ren and Otoya give me questioning looks but Masato smiled faintly, probably glad that the silence has been broken.

"I slept well enough, thank you." He nods at me. The awkward silence returns and I start playing with the food on my plate. Looking back up at Cecil, he gestures for me to keep talking. Reluctantly, I start to open my mouth to say something but Tokiya interjects before I can.

"So, how was your first night as a werewolf, Otoya?" Syo chokes on the water he was drinking before turning harshly to Tokiya.

"Isn't that question a bit too forward to ask?" The shorter male glares at him.

"It's fine, Syo." Otoya raises a hand in a calming motion. "I was waiting for someone to say something, or anything really, so I'm glad the silence is gone now." Otoya takes a sip of his water.

"That doesn't answer my question." Tokiya raises a brow.

The red head chuckles lightly, grinning. "Oh… you know…" The sound of dishware and forks scrapping on plates suddenly stops. Masato and Ren smile slightly, as do I.

"No, I don't know. That's why I'm asking." I laugh lightly at the whole thing, as Masato and Ren chuckle as well. I glance at Cecil to see a small smile on his face. Tokiya glares momentarily before suddenly smirking at the joke and chuckling along.

"Good to see you still have a sense of humor." Otoya smiles at him before going back to eating his food. By now, everyone at the table was either smiling or snickering, and, frankly, I was glad the silence was finally broken.

"But…" I look up at Tokiya again, a solemn look in his eyes. "In all seriousness, what happened to you guys? You look like you've been through hell."

Otoya sets his fork down on his plate and coughs lightly. "It was just some minor trouble last night." Ren and Masato share an uneasy look with each other but otherwise don't say anything.

"Hm… Another werewolf?" He leans forward on the table waiting for an answer.

Otoya seems taken back at his response. "How did you…" Tokiya gestures to the scars on Masato's neck, who quickly raises his hand up and rubs at his throat. Otoya coughs, "Well… Yes, we did run into that other werewolf, but she ran off and I don't think she'll come back anytime soon."

Masato adds on. "I ran into her first, but she knocked me out before I could really do anything."

Ren continued. "Otoya and I showed up just a few seconds after and scared her off."

Syo interrupts. "'She'? You were attacked by a female werewolf?"

I look at Otoya and the others. "How did you know that wolf was a girl?"

They suddenly blush and look away as Masato stammers. "Uh… Well… She just kind of…uh… Well she… she smelled like one…" He blushes more furiously and sinks down slightly in his chair.

Syo snickers at them. "You can tell she was a girl just by how she smelled? What would that smell be: perfume or hairspray?" Natsuki and Cecil join in on his laughter. They show looks of embarrassment, averting their gazes from the others.

Cecil stops his laughter long enough to ask a question. "Why be so embarrassed about it?" He covers his mouth with his hand to quiet down his laughter.

Otoya sputters, "H-how could we not?! Do you understand how weird it is to be able to tell someone apart just from their scent?!"

Tokiya cracks a smile. "I think the definition for 'weird' has changed over the past few days." He joins in with the others laughter, adding his own soft hearted one. I laugh with all of them, finally glad that they were getting along like they used to.

Syo ceases his laughter for a moment to ask, "On a side note, didn't I see you all walking down from the women's floor this morning?" Otoya and the other werewolves faces flush and they start stammering to explain themselves.

"Hang on a sec!" Otoya raises his hands defensively. "We didn't have a place to stay the night since we share our rooms with our seniors and it isn't safe outside at night!"

The laughter in the room dies off and Natsuki inquires them, "I thought you said she wouldn't come back. You guys chased her off, right?"

Ren sighs and stares down at his plate with a grim expression. "We've chased her off a few times, but she comes back once in a while. She left with an injured leg from what I can tell, so she'll be gone for five days at the most. While she may be gone now, it still isn't safe to go outside." Glaring, he stabs a piece of food on his plate. _Is he disappointed in himself for not being able to do more? He considers us as his pack, but do the others feel that way too?_

The room becomes eerily silent again. Cecil nudges my foot under the table and nods his head at the others before giving me a look; a look that seemed desperate for answers. I nod slightly to him.

"Um… If I could give a suggestion…" I wring my hands under the table. _It doesn't seem like it would be a good idea. If it doesn't work, then the wedge between the people I love will only grow. _My hands and wrist start to hurt from all the friction, so I grab the napkin on my lap and choose to wring that instead. _If it does work, then we'll all be truly connected again._ "I think we should er... _need_ to have a discussion about this." I feel seven pairs of eyes lock onto me, causing me to blush and look down. "It's just that… Well, I think that if we have everything out in the open and addressed, then maybe the whole situation wouldn't feel so strange anymore…" Closing my eyes, I hold my breath, and wait for their response.

Masato sharply ask me, "You think talking about all this will make it all better? That everything will go back to normal if we do?"

"No! Not like that…" I chew on my bottom lip. "When I first learned that you guys were werewolves, you said I could ask any question I could think of right? Well, at the time, I had too many questions to even ask then. Now that I understand the situation better, I know exactly what I want to know and since everyone else knows, why not let them ask questions too?" The stillness of the room strikes me head on. The only sound I could hear was my own heartbeat pounding away in my ears. No one moved a muscle and for the most part kept their eyes on me. My heart pounds more frantically and I'm sure if there was a noise it would only be drowned out by thumping in my ears.

"I think Haruka's idea is a wonderful one!" I freeze entirely. Blinking my eyes a few times, my heartbeat falls back into line. Looking up, I see that all eyes have moved to Natsuki. He sat there smiling as if nothing was wrong. "We're all good friends. I think if you guys explained your situation more, we'll have a better chance of understanding it, and then we could be even better friends!" He giggles slightly and beams at us.

"I agree," Cecil sits up a little straighter and smiles as well. "I'm interested in hearing your views on this!"

"I still think this whole thing is crazy," Syo grinned. "But hey, why not?"

Tokiya nodded. "I've been meaning to ask questions anyway." I notice the other three relax a bit at their responses and they beam at everyone.

"Alright then," Ren stands up and grabs his plate. "As soon as we clean up, we'll all head down to the lake to discuss everything."

Masato follows his lead and grabs my plate as well. "You can ask anything in the world and we'll give you an honest response." Everyone in the room grins and hurriedly cleans up their plates. I feel into my pocket for the familiar folded up sheet of paper and sigh in relief when its still there. _Finally! I'll get answers straight from them!_

I admire the scenery of a lake in front of me as I sit on the cool grass. Pressing my back against the bark of the tree, I breathe in the fresh air, inhaling it deeply. _It's __much better than the city._ Ren, Masato, and Otoya sit across from the others and I. No one's said anything yet, but I know everyone is dying to get answers, though they don't seem to know where to start. I gaze up at the sunlight showering through the leaves and branches, dazzling shades of green fill my vision and smile fondly in content.

"Well, go ahead and ask. Any questions will be answered." Otoya smiles reassuringly and leans forward.

There's a short moment of silence that's quickly broken by Syo. "I know you were attacked at night, but I don't think any of you gave us the details. How exactly did it happen?"

Masato and Otoya look at Ren, waiting for him to start his side of the story. He nods, "I was walking home, directly in front of the dorms actually. The sun had just set so it was already dark out. I was just walking along the way when I hear something behind me. I turn around to see a white wolf. I wasn't sure how to react. I thought it was just a stray dog or something so I turned around and kept walking home. It jumps in front of me and starts barking and growling. Before I know what to do, it has me pinned onto the cement. I tried to push her off, but that stupid wolf tore right into my forearm and runs off as if I was never there. At the time, my arm looked really bad and was bleeding quite a bit, but it's all healed up now. I ran inside and got some bandages on it without anyone noticing. That's it."

Syo inquires. "So she bit you then just ran off into the night?" Ren nods. "Then don't you think you think she was deliberately trying to infect you?"

Ren scoffs. "You make it sound like a disease." His shows surprise at what he's said and turns away, glaring at nothing in particular. "Maybe she was, but I have no clue why she would and her scent isn't of anyone I know." Syo nods to him and turns to the others for their stories.

Masato starts, "I followed Ren outside a couple of nights after he was bitten. I shadowed him for a bit before I lost him and ended up wandering around looking for him again. When I had given up, and was heading back towards home, a white wolf had appeared behind me and started growling. I was shocked to see a wolf way out here in this area and didn't have time to react to her. She ran forward and tackled me to the ground. She bit my arm and kept her jaws on it for what seemed like forever. I tried prying her mouth open, but she's a lot stronger than she looks. After maybe a minute or so, Ren, as a wolf, ran out of nowhere and chased her off. I kept thinking to myself, 'Another wolf here, ready to chew off my arm.' But when the wolf slowly changed into a person, I saw that it was Ren. I was shocked at what I had just seen and for the most part just sat there gaping at him. He yelled at me a bit for going against his orders, which I admit I deserved, and then he explained his condition to me."

Ren scratches the back of his neck. "At the time, I was furious about how you put yourself in danger like that, but I felt… happy; happy that I wasn't alone anymore. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be glad that you're suffering with me." Masato nods to him in understanding but remains silent.

"And as for me," Otoya interjects. "It was late at night and I suddenly woke up to get drink of water. I got up and went to the kitchen for a glass. I hear the window creak and that she wolf jumped in and pinned me against the counter. It latched onto my arm and I tried to pry open her jaws. I took the glass and was about to smash it to frighten her off but she let go and jumped out the window before I had the chance. By the time I bandaged my arm up, Ren and Masato were there asking me what happened. I just showed them my arm and that was that."

Brief moments of silence rolls by before Natsuki ask, "Ren, you said she didn't smell like anyone you know. How do you know that? And do you two not know her either?" They shake their heads.

"Well," Ren shows a look of concentration. "It's like this: everyone has a scent that sets them apart from everyone else. Most animals tend to share a similar scent depending on the species, but with humans, it's like… you all have different smells to you that set you apart depending on what you do. All people have a natural scent, but they can change it if they happen to use something like perfume or cologne. A lot of our senses have gotten stronger, so now even the faint scent of perfume smells like the bottle is right next to our nose." He chuckles a bit.

"Hm… And what does that she wolf smell like?" Natsuki inquires.

"Like earth after rain, with the faint scent of old paper to her." The others hum in agreement.

Cecil asks, "Does it hurt when you change to wolves?"

They shake their heads and Masato answers him, "It only hurts at night, when you're trying to fight it. If we change during the day or willingly at night, it has more of a numb feeling to it."

A hush falls over us and everyone seems to twitch at the dire question on their minds. No one seems eager to address it, werewolf or human. The atmosphere starts to feel heavy and I nudge the closest person to me to do something about it. That person just so happened to be Tokiya. He glances at me before quietly asking, "What does it feel like; to be a werewolf?"

The others don't at all seem to be taken back by the question, but they still didn't seem to happy that someone asked. Otoya pulls at some of the grass blades in front of him. Masato has his eyes closed in thought, though he was shaking heavily, while Ren kept shifting his eyes at the ground in front of him. Though none of them look in our direction, they all voice the same thing, "We... can't answer that…"

"For what reason?" Tokiya and the others seem rather hurt over the fact that they won't tell them, and even I was astonished at their reluctance to talk to us. "What makes this question any different? What's stopping you from answering it?"

They all look away from our gazes, trying to find the right words to use. After maybe ten seconds of silence they give us their answers.

Otoya stutters, "S-shame."

Masato sighed, "Regret."

Ren adds, "Fear..."

My heart breaks at the words uttered by them. _What could possibly be so wrong about it? We all love and trust them, so why would they think like that?_ A soft breeze rolls by, picking up the stray leaves and sweeping them away over the lake. A quick glance at the others tells me they're just as shocked as me.

The heavy atmosphere starts to feel suffocating and I try to force out something, anything. "P-please. I promise… We won't judge your answers, no matter what they may be." The others nod their heads and flash some reassuring smiles at them.

The wolves don't say anything for what feels like an eternity to me. Finally Otoya, without looking up, tells us, "We don't want to know the answer ourselves. We're... scared of the shame and regret it may bring…"

Cecil speaks up. "'May bring', there's no guarantee it will come."

Ren continues shifting his eyes in front of him. He stops and tries to raise his head to look us in the eyes, but only raises it halfway. "I… I hate it so much… I loathe it with all my heart…" I sigh in relief, glad that they were still as human as ever. "But…" My heart drops in my chest at his words. _Don't say what I think you're going to say!_ "I only hate it so much… because I… Love it…" His voice quivers at the words and he quickly looks down again.

Syo gasps, "What do you-"

Ren abruptly stands up and turns around, pacing in the shade of the tree, hands running through golden hair. He starts growling. "It's like… I hate being a werewolf because it's just... revolting. I feel him there, inside me, the wolf, just sitting and waiting for me to let go… so that he can take over and do what he pleases. He sits there inside me and waits night after night to come out. Night after night, I fight against the animalistic urges he plants inside my mind. I… I try to fight back, to keep him from hurting me or anyone else, but I can't do it forever!" Pausing, he continues his uneasy pacing. He looks like he's in pain at just talking about it as his breath comes out in short puffs and he clutches his sides. "But at the same time… He's just there… Even though he sits and waits for me to make a wrong move… It feels like he's only waiting to help me correct that move. It's almost like… he wants to be… more." He pauses again and he realizes what he just said, but the shock is quickly wiped away. "Like he wants to show me the good things about his world. He wants to feel freedom… and here I am keeping him locked up." He stops moving, breathing normal and hands hanging by his sides. "I fear it… I fear that I might actually like being a werewolf. And I fear how you all will feel." He gazes out over the lake and doesn't utter another word, hands shoved into his pocket

There's a momentary pause as we sit frozen in the warm summer sun. "I know I've only been a werewolf for a shorter amount of time," Masato announced. "But… it's true. I keep thinking that if I let him out… if I let him be free for even a second… he might cause me to hurt someone. If I were to hurt anyone, I don't think I'd be able to live with myself after that. The wolf… it talks to me… to all of us. My wolf, well, he doesn't seem to agree with my calm demeanor. He wants to run and hunt and fight to his heart's content… but I can't let him do that." He stops to rub his temple. "I try my best to keep him under control… but when Haruka was attacked a few nights ago and last night as well, I let him take control. It felt like watching a TV. I was just waiting and hoping… hoping that the wolf would win and wouldn't hurt anyone else. I wanted to be in control… I wanted to be the one who could fight their own fights, not the wolf. Last night, I tried to win back control over the wolf. I did it, but I hadn't learned enough to defend myself in a fight. I lost… And now, he's eager to teach me how to fight." He chuckles slightly before frowning. "I keep thinking to myself, that if I let him gain control… I'll end up regretting something I had no control over." The others show no emotion over the tales, instead choosing to listen carefully to each and every word uttered by them. Though they seemed calm, something told me they were holding back many emotions and questions. Hesitantly, I look to Otoya, hoping that his tale isn't so painful.

He continues clawing at the grass blades in front of him and starts off by smiling fondly. "When I first became a werewolf, I thought I was going to feel some sort of animalistic urge that would tell me to go attack a village or something like in the movies. But when I found myself on four paws and I felt the earth beneath them, I felt a rush of energy surge through my spine. I feel myself running around the field… I felt so free and happy. Maybe I was happy because my wolf was so happy. The feeling of the wind rushing past my ears and through my fur... The way the earth moved beneath me... The feeling of letting nature guide me… it all felt so… exhilarating… It felt like being on a roller coaster the whole time. As the wolf and I moved together, other thoughts came rushing up to me… The wolf was telling me about other… intoxicating activities." Otoya whimpers slightly before continuing. "He told me about the feeling of hunting in a pack… tracking down a meal… and being the first to spill its guts across the ground…" He stops, fighting back tears, but I couldn't help but notice the smallest smile on his face. I feel my heart beating faster in my chest and my ears. _Didn't that smile seem… a bit sadistic?_ I shake my head of the thoughts and I almost miss what he says next. "I can't help but feel ashamed… ashamed that… I might actually enjoy doing those things." He bows to us and Masato follows his lead. "Please. Please don't think any less of us. We're begging you…"

I can't feel my face or even my body and could only sit frozen in the warm mid morning day. I couldn't even begin to wrap my brain around the whole thing. _They really like being werewolves don't they?_ _No! That can't be true! And even if it was, it wouldn't mean anything, right?!_ The others seem frozen in their spots as well. I look to Ren and the other wolves. Their breathing seems normal and they've stopped shaking. Both Masato and Otoya have stopped bowing but their eyes are closed and they refuse to look up.

Natsuki voiced his next question. "But...but… It's just your wolves talking right?! I mean… none of you have any control over what your wolf tells you! You're not the ones thinking these… uh thoughts?"

They finally look up and into our eyes, looks cold and serious. Ren takes a step forward and Masato and Otoya rise and stand next to him. Ren continues, "Well, you see... We can't really tell..."

Masato adds on. "If it's us thinking it..."

Otoya finishes with, "Or the wolf…" They bow their heads once again, eyes shut tight and mouths closed just as well.

The awkward silence rears its head again as tears start to well up in my eyes. Another gentle breeze rolls by, causing a tear to fall and hit the parched earth. I inhale a quick breath of air to calm myself, but it proves useless.

"So, I guess…" Syo frowns and crosses his arms. We all get to our feet and stand in front of them. "Because of these urges to kill and fight, we're not safe being around you guys anymore, huh?" They all look down at their feet, while I kept my gaze on the others. I feel my legs and arms trembling and I was worried I would collapse any second, but I somehow remain on my feet.

Ren, Masato, and Otoya look up at us again. They seem to look off into the distance, as if searching for something. I can tell the others are shaking out of fear, whether it was the thought of being hurt, having the group break up, or losing their friends; they all looked uncomfortable in the atmosphere. I feel my lips quivering and more tears come to my eyes. But a single moment passes by before Ren finally breaks the silence, "No."

We snap our eyes up at them in shock. Cecil stammers, "W-what?!"

Ren smirks at them and shoves his hand into his pocket. "It's true that our wolves are telling us these disturbing thoughts, and its true that they make us feel a drive to hunt and kill. Hey, I'll even admit that they do give us the appearance of monsters. But your lives are _not_ being threatened. Well, not by us at least."

The other werewolves break out in smiles. Otoya takes up where Ren left off. "We would never hurt you guys. Not now, not then, not ever! Your lives would never be in danger because of us!"

Syo spoke, "Again: what?!" The looks on everyone's face, including my own, were astonished.

Masato clarified, "The wolves wouldn't dream of hurting you guys. If anything, they think you'll be safer if you're around us."

Natsuki stammers, "B-but why?!"

The others blush faintly and look away. Ren coughs. "The wolves say you're all 'pack' er…. well, family really. They feel no drive to hurt any of you. They only say to protect you all."

I smile widely, tears of happiness welling up in my eyes. _I knew they weren't monsters! They care about us just as much as we care about them!_ I look to the others, and although they all seemed shocked, I noticed a glint of happiness in their eyes. "You have no idea how glad I am to hear you all say that!" Tears filled with joy cascade down my cheeks as smile at them and the others.

The others come up behind me and pat them on their backs, all of them grinning from ear to ear. Tokiya intervenes, "To be honest, I think the only reason any of us were scared of the situation, was because we didn't know if you would hurt us or anyone else. But knowing you won't is a great weight off of our shoulders." The others nod in agreement.

I look back up at the others and see the joy and relief glinting in their eyes. It's as if the heavy chains dragging them down have instantly been taken off, and now both them and their wolves have been freed from them. I smile thoughtfully. _None of you never had to feel scared...Never…_

* * *

**I realize I usually update weekly, but when I saw that this story hasn't gotten any new reviews I felt a kind of down and wasn't really up to posting a new chapter. I usually start the new chapter when I get a new review, but...**

**That's okay! I'll just have to write chapters so good people will have to leave reviews for them. So please, review and favorite if this story's caught your attention. Your feedback keeps me going!**


	11. Chapter 11

"So, you're all going out tonight?" Hesitantly, I step towards them, hands held close to my heart. I know fully well that they are capable of taking care of themselves but something keeps gnawing at the back of my mind. Just a few nights ago were the last fight they had, and even though the scars are gone, in my mind they seem as fresh as the day they received them. Glancing at the others sitting on the opposite couch from me, I hope that they'll say something against all this, but they remain silent for the most part.

Something taps my shoulder and I look over to see Cecil there, leaning forward slightly in his chair, he whispers, "You know they can handle themselves." I nod in understanding but that doesn't keep me from worrying.

"It doesn't seem like we have much of a choice, do we?" Masato fixes the hood of the gray hoodie he's wearing. "That wolf is still out there. And by now, her paw has probably healed."

"And we have a clear plan for tonight too, so we'll be extra careful." Ren rolls up the sleeves on his shirt as he says this. "I'll be trying to follow the scent of that wolf for most of the night, just to check and see if she's still in the area or has a general territory where we should keep away from."

Masato gives us a small smile. "I'll be walking around the building to make sure she doesn't get in. I've already made sure any accessible window or door is secured tightly."

"And I'll be here for tonight," Otoya grins widely at us. "If the she wolf does get in somehow, I'll know in an instant and keep her preoccupied until these two arrive." He gestures to Ren and Masato.

Syo points out, "How will you know if she does get in? Masato could be on the other side of the building. Could you really hear Otoya from wherever you are?" He rests his head on his hand.

"Our hearing has gotten better, so there's a good chance I'll hear no matter what." Ren taps Masato's shoulder, nodding to him, and they start to head toward the doorway. "We'll see you all later." As they leave through the doorway they flash some reassuring smiles and wave us goodbye.

When their gone, Natsuki turns to Otoya and ask him, "Will you be turning into a wolf while you're here?"

Otoya awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. "Well no. Not yet I mean. I'll turn into a wolf if there's danger around but I'd rather not right now. Besides, I can't change back at night like Ren and Masato can, and I'd rather not be stuck as an animal and unable to talk to you guys." We nod our heads in understanding.

"Too bad," Natsuki sighs. "I wanted to see what you look like, but that's okay."

"Eh, what for?"

Natsuki smiles widely. "I bet you look cute as a wolf!"

Otoya blushes lightly. The memory of the first time Otoya became a wolf and how energetic he was comes to mind. Giggling, I slightly nod my head. Otoya coughs and stammers, "I-it's not that cute and besides shouldn't you all be going to bed soon?"

Tilting my head, I give him a quizzical look. "You don't want any of us to stay up with you and keep you company?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "I just think you all would be safer in your rooms tonight."

"And with that said," Tokiya stands up. "I'll be heading to bed. I have work tomorrow. Just like the rest of you do." He waves us goodnight and leaves the room. There are a few silent murmurs of sleep, followed by a few yawns, before everyone seems to agree that sleeping is the best option. Syo and Natsuki both wave us goodnights as Otoya, Cecil, and I stay behind for just a moment more.

Turning to Otoya, I ask him "Are you sure you guys will be alright tonight?"

He answers with a smile and a nod. "I wouldn't worry too much. If she does get in, we can handle it. We'll do our absolute best to keep her at away." I muster up a smile for him while Cecil places a hand on my shoulder and nods to the stairs that lead to our rooms. Nodding in return, we walk briskly out of the room, but as soon as were out of Otoya's sight we slow down.

Cecil turns to me. "Have you had any dreams lately?" He smiles eagerly at me and waits for my reply.

"Not since their fight from a few nights ago. Not that I'm complaining or anything, its just nice to not have a nightmare once in a while." Frowning slightly, I remember the different nightmares I've been having the past few weeks. Though all of them were about a monster coming after me, some were different from others. In the beginning, it was just the monster and me until later on when the wolves showed up. And said beast would always attack in different ways every other time.

"Have you thought anymore about what I've said; about your dreams and the others?" His smile drops and is replaced with a more serious look.

I hum softly. "I'm still not completely sure about it. I mean, why would my dreams have any connection to this at all? I'm just a composer. It does seem like the better explanation, but I'm just… Plain..." Cecil listens to me thoughtfully. He then smiles and stops walking causing me to stop as well as I look up at him, head tilted slightly to the side. The next thing I feel is his arms wrapped around me in a tight embrace. "Eh? C-Cecil? What are you doing?"

He chuckles in my ear. "The muses told me of the connection your music gives people. Every song you compose, every note you write down, weaves us together tighter than before. I can assure you; you are not as plain as you may think." He lets go of me and smiles.

Blushing, I reply, "Thank you, Cecil." We continue walking down the hallway and make it to the women's dorm. Cecil wishes me a good night and leaves me in the cool marble hall as he walks toward his own room. I make it to my room safely and open the door to a dark room. With a flick of the lights, I make my way to my desk and pull out the slip of paper with the list on it and begin writing something down.

8. Werewolves heal quickly.

9. Every person has a wolf inside them that 'talks' to them.

I furrow my brow at the list. _It seems a bit short. It's been almost a month now; shouldn't I have more than this?_ Momentarily, I debate whether or not to add something concerning the dreams, but decided that it has nothing to do with werewolves specifically. Yawning, I place the paper in a drawer in the desk. After I dress myself in a white night gown, one that fell to my mid-thigh, and brush my teeth in the bathroom, I decide an early turn in would be better than staying up and composing till the early lights of day.

As I walk to my bed, a sudden chill shoots up my spine as I freeze in place. I take a quick glance around my room to see if there was a draft coming from somewhere, but see that every door and window was closed. Shaking my head of the thought, I pull back the covers of the blanket and slide into its comforting embrace. As I lay my head down on the soft feather pillows, I feel myself instantly pulled into my dreams.

* * *

_A soft laugh leaves my lips as I chase after the other three wolves. They dashed ahead of me; occasionally looking back to make sure I was keeping up. While the red wolf seemed happy to be here, the other two looked warily around them as they ran. The grassy plains stretched far in front of me as faint breezes rolled over the blades. Everything seemed so at peace around me, but I knew those two were keeping their eyes open for the familiar mist. When a dark cloud rolled by the sun, efficiently blocking out the natural light, they jumped to their feet and growled at it before it carelessly floated by. The red wolf seemed as careless as the cloud, I didn't react much to it until the others two started growling._

_Stopping, I turn to them and crouch down to their eye level. They slow down and stand in front of me. "You don't have to be on edge all the time. You fought the shadow away just a few nights ago. I don't think they'll be back tonight." I smile reassuringly at them but they still seem hesitant to let their guards down. "What harm can it do if you let your guard down for a while? It's no good if you're constantly cautious of every little thing." The red wolf runs up to us and wags his tail enthusiastically, clearly wanting to play. "I think the both of us would be happier if you played just a little bit." Raising my hand up, I pat the red wolf on the head. The orange and blue wolves share an unreadable look with each other._

_Abruptly the orange one walks off to the side and crouches down in a playful position, tail swaying rhythmically. The red wolf seems to grin as it runs forward and bounds around the orange one. He pounces onto its back playfully before dashing away a safe distance, crouched in a playful position. The other runs after him, quickly turning it into a game of tag between the two._

_I glance at the blue wolf, who was only mildly interested in the game going on, and stood stoically as it looked off at something in the distance. Following its line of sight, I see… absolutely nothing. He notices me staring off in the distance with him and squints, which is their way of smiling I've learned. My eyes tear away to a tree not too far away from the others. "Why don't we take a seat in the shade over there?" The blue wolf follows my eyes and nods his head._

_Under the shade of the tree, we both watched the game of tag unfold into something more. Both wolves tried even harder to avoid being 'it' and even went to such lengths as the start jumping over the other. The orange wolf was clearly having fun being able to relax and cut loose for a bit while the other seemed happy just to have someone else to play with. I take another look at the blue wolf to see him wagging his tail but otherwise keeping glued to the spot. Chuckling, I place a hand on his shoulder and soothingly pet him. "You can go play with them if you want. I'm perfectly fine right here." The blue wolf looks between them and me, still not moving. "It's ok, really. If there's any danger, I'll come running towards you, ok?" Hesitantly, he looks between us again before bounding after the other two wolves, barking excitedly._

_Sighing, I relax against the bark of the tree and look through the sun dyed leaves, brilliant waves of greens creating patterns on my skin. A gentle breeze shifts through the leaves and grass, pushing a few on the ground out of its way. The clouds continuously drift by lazily as the occasional wind blows through my hair. I smile and soak in the warmth and peace of the whole scenery. A smile tugs the corners of my mouth as I watch the other three enjoy their time playing tag. It seemed that the red wolf was 'it' and was having a tough time deciding who to tag next, while the others kept a safe distance away. In just a short moment, the red wolf makes a mad dash for the blue one, and, after a few short moments, is successful in his plan. Smiling, I turn my gaze to the field as a whole._

_Out of nowhere, the color of the area around me starts to change to a much brighter orange. I furrow my brow in confusion. Is the sun setting? A quick glance to the sky confirms my thoughts as the sun seems to fall behind the horizon, dragging the daylight with it. The wolves notice this change in time and rush over to my side, all traces of playfulness gone. They stand defensively around me and growl in low tones. By now, the sun has completely disappeared and the moon has risen over the horizon just as quickly as the sun fell behind it._

_Both the orange and blue wolf walked in circles around me, growling at the sky, while the red wolf sat by my side and rubbed his muzzle against my arm. "I'm sure its fine. Don't worry." Forcing a smile, I pat his red smoky fur. The moon continues to rise until it reaches the peak of the sky and stops moving altogether. Stars appeared in the sky quickly thereafter, millions filling the black canvas in moments. Shades of blue spread out through each dot of light, creating an image as beautiful as any painting. Hesitantly, I let the stillness of the night wash over me. Both wolves have stopped growling, realizing that nothing was posing a threat, as they relax and sit on the ground next to me. Seeing nothing better to do, I slowly pet the wisp like fur of the blue wolf, attempting to keep him from growling anymore._

_The fire like strands flow through my fingers and dissipate into the air above them. I've never been able to get a close look at their fur till now, and didn't realize how strange they seemed. They gave off a light from their very bodies and it casted shadows across the ground in front of us. The red, orange, and blue lights danced between the blades and pebbles, efficiently weaving through them. Though they appeared to be made of differently colored flames, they actually gave off soothing warmth that would spread through my whole body. The shadows on the ground moved whenever they did, and I giggle at the beautiful designs and move my hands into the light. The wolves aren't sure what to do with the childish act, but they seem to smile nonetheless._

_A strong wind blows by and they huddle closer to me, offering their warmth. I sigh in content and close my eyes as we sit in peace. Instantly, I feel the one of the wolves tense up near me and an open my eyes to see the red wolf had his head raised high and with ears perked up._

"_Hm? Is something wrong?" He doesn't seem to be growling, and looked more curious than anything. I follow his eyesight into the open field beyond us to see something in the far distance. It shined like a star but it was on the ground and not in the sky. I squint in the dark, but it doesn't help and I'm sitting here guessing what it could. It takes me only a moment more to notice that the light is getting bigger, or actually it was getting closer. The other wolves stand up and take a couple of steps forward. Surprisingly, none of them were growling at this new light and only looked on in curiosity. I feel my heart drop in my chest and start imagining the worst. A shiver shoots up my spine as a single thought crosses my mind. "That's someone new, isn't it?"_

* * *

I jolt awake, gasping for breath as I frantically look around my room. Getting on my feet, I turn the lamp next to my bed on. A quick glance around the room calmed me down in a second. I place my hand over my chest and feel how frantically my heart was beating. After a quick glance to my clock, I see it reads 1:38 AM. Slipping on a pair of slippers, I head towards the door of my room. _I need to go check on them, or at least have a quick look around._ My thoughts flashback to the shadow in my dreams and the wolf in reality, but I opt to ignore it. The second my hand reaches the knob, a long howl echoes off the walls. Freezing in place, I listen to the note and recognize it as an F note, in terms of music. _An F note; from a wolf?_ A second howl resonates in the room, a C note this time and very close by. The first thought to cross my mind is; 'Trouble? Why else would they howl?', but it's quickly pushed aside by my second thought; 'They sound… wonderful.' The notes were perfect and even and sounded just as good as the songs I've heard them sing so many times. A third howl sounds outside; an A note much farther away. Shaking my head, I frantically open the door.

My shoes hardly make a sound on the marble floor as I run to where I heard the first howl. It sounded as if it came from the men's floor, though the hard floors and walls might have caused it to echo from somewhere else. I slow down as I make my way up the stairs and continue down the halls. Pausing momentarily, I realize I might not have been the only one to hear the howl; the others could be awake right now. Rounding the corner, I narrowly avoid collision with someone in a silk gray shirt. I take a step back and look up to see Camus' serious face.

"Camus! W-what are you doing up?" I stutter.

He glares at me for a moment before saying, "I heard something close by and decided to see what it was; if you'll excuse me." He starts to walk around me and I feel my breath catch in my throat. _Oh no._

"Oh, I'm sure it's nothing worth investigating!" I quickly shut my mouth and press my lips together as much as I can.

"Hm? Why do you say that?" He looks back and me and stares curiously. "You're not hiding something are you?"

Panic starts to rise in me. "N-No, of course not, it's just that…" I furrow my brow slightly. "The sound was uh… me! Yea, I was working on a new song and was thinking of some notes on my piano." I force a smile at him but he doesn't seem to accept it.

"It sounded more like an animal than a piano." He glares at me once again.

"Uh… My piano needs tuning it would seem." I feel my neck burn from the thought of being caught by someone, especially one of our seniors.

Camus continues to glare at me, but it softens into his usual stoic face. "You should probably tune it sometime soon." His brows furrows. "What are you doing here?"

Gulping audibly, I manage to force out, "I need the hammer to tune it, you know? I seem to remember one on the fourth floor." Forcing a smile, I continue. "Though it is late in the night, honestly it was foolish of me to stay up so late composing. I think we should both try to get our beauty sleep, right?" I laugh nervously and hope that Camus doesn't pick up on any of my behavior.

He gives a soft 'hmph' before turning back towards his room. "In the future, I expect you not to make such a ruckus, as others are _trying_ to sleep. Though I suppose you're right. Good night then." He continues to walk down the hall before softly closing his door behind him. A heavy sigh leaves my lips as I lean against the wall. _It felt like my heart was about to burst from my chest._

"Nice job Haruka, I was worried about what might have happened if he noticed us." I yelp and whip around to look at the owner of the voice. Syo and Natsuki were standing close by, attired in loose pajama clothing and both had curious looks on their faces. Otoya was standing next to them in his wolf form, occasionally switching his attention between the three of us. Syo laughs nervously. "Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. We were just heading back to our rooms."

I'm too shocked at their sudden appearance to say anything instantly but when the shock passed just a moment later, I forced out a dire question, "What are you two doing up? And Otoya, why are you a wolf?" Otoya tilts his head to the side before looking to Syo and Natsuki, most likely waiting for them to explain what's happened.

Syo shrugs his shoulders and Natsuki smiles before saying, "Apparently, I was sleepwalking when that she wolf got in. She didn't do any damage, and from what I know, and she didn't attack anyone tonight. I believe Otoya fought her off before he howled for the others. They'll be here momentarily." He frowns. "I wish I wasn't asleep during the whole thing. I was completely useless during it all."

Syo walks up to him and places a hand on his back, a grin plastered across his face. "Don't worry about it! You didn't miss much, nothing worth noting at least."

Natsuki smiles in return and nods. "Yea, you're probably right." He yawns. "I think it's time I went back to bed anyway. Good night, everyone!"

Syo nods in response, "I'll be there in just a moment." Natsuki starts walking towards their room, and the second the door is closed behind him, Syo's smile drops and he sighs heavily, rubbing the back of his neck as well.

I turn to him. "What _really_ happened?"

He glances at me, as if thinking of if he should tell me, then sighs. "She snuck in while we were asleep. Natsuki doesn't sleep with his glasses on, so when Satsuki suddenly woke up and saw her there, he immediately chased after her."

"Is he _okay_?"

He nods. "He's fine from what I can tell. She seemed surprised that he suddenly came after her, and she ran out of the room. I found Otoya and told him that she got in. He howled for the others but by the time we found Satsuki, he already fought with her and she was running away. He wasn't bitten from what I can tell, and in fact Satsuki confirmed that, and I quote, 'I'm not dumb enough to be bitten by some stupid mutt.' I got his glasses on him before he could do anymore damage after that."

I sigh and place a hand over my heart. "That's a relief." _So the light in my dream was nothing more than a simple light in the distance._ The sound of footsteps on tile resonates into the hall and Masato and Ren, both in human form and in loose clothes, come running in.

"We heard you howl," Masato stops in front of us, panting slightly. "Is something wrong?" Otoya looks up at him and starts a series of soft barks and yips. Both Ren and Masato crouch down to his level and listen intently to him, facial expressions hardly changing. Otoya nods to Syo and they glance up at him. Masato stands, "You saw the whole thing right? Are you sure he wasn't bitten?"

He nods in response. "I didn't see any blood when I arrived and Satsuki said he wasn't."

"But in the end," Ren walks forward, placing a hand on Masato's shoulder, and leaning on it. "She got away into the night." Otoya whimpers and Syo looks down. Ren gives a 'tch' before turning around in a huff. He runs his hands through his hair, growling in frustration. He glares harshly at nothing in particular, but it's obvious he's trying to keep his cool about the whole situation. "Damn it!" Growling harshly, he slams his hand against the wall.

"Ren," Masato places a hand on Ren's shoulder. "Calm down. We'll figure out where she went later, but now is not the time to get angry over it."

"Easy for you to say!" Glaring, he gives a low growl to Masato. "How can you be so calm right now, doesn't it trouble you that she's threatening our _pack_?" Otoya barks harshly at him, and Ren stops growling though his glare remained.

"Of course it bothers me," Masato nods to Otoya. "It bothers both of us, but reacting too harshly to the matter will only make things worse."

"Masato is right," Syo takes a step forward. "It's important that we try to keep calm about this whole thing. If you don't relax, you won't be able to solve problems clearly."

Ren's features relax slightly. "Alright, I see what you mean. Sorry, it's just…" His words die off.

"Is it because of your wolf?" I ask, tilting my head. Four pairs of eyes look in my direction, and I flinch under their stares.

Ren sighs heavily before giving me a sly grin. "Yea, though I am surprised by you, Little Lamb. You seem to understand my wolf better than I do."

_Well, I have been around them a lot in my dreams._ Smiling, I nod to him. "Lucky guess, I suppose."

Syo brings my attention to him by yawning loudly. "I don't know about you all, but it's one in the morning and I think I'll be going to bed now. You should be too, Haruka."

Otoya nudges my hand and yips at me, tail wagging. I smile. "Yea, that's a good idea." Wishing them a good night, I go back down the stairs to my room, closing the door softly as I enter. I take off my slippers and place them by the bed. Taking a seat on the bed, I think back to the dream last night. _If Satsuki was bitten, he would've appeared in my dream, but he didn't. That means there's still a chance these dreams aren't connected to any of this._ I sigh happily before lying down on my bed and closing my eyes. However, something in the back of mind kept bringing itself to attention; the chance that I was only trying to kid myself about everything.

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter, and a thanks to all who've followed and liked the story. Please, leave your reviews and opions on this chapter and any future ones. Your reviews keep me writing!**


	12. Chapter 12

"Vacation, you all are?" Otoya leans forward on the couch, eyes open wide and head tilted ever so slightly to the side. The rest of STARISH were sitting on the couches and chairs nearby, all of them enjoying some tea and cookies, and appeared interested in the conversation.

"Yea, Shining said it would be a good chance for us to take a much needed break." Reiji slings a backpack over his shoulder, smiling at his junior. Ranmaru and Ai were close by; both had bags in their hands and over their shoulders.

"We went on a vacation before," Tokiya inputs, arms crossed and glancing toward the seniors. "But last time we were all there. I'm surprised we're not going this time."

"We said something similar to Shining," Ai interjects. "But he said that a few days without any teachers or seniors would be a good enough vacation for you all. Of course, Shining will still be around to keep an eye on you." Ai glances in my direction for a second before averting his gaze back to the others. I give him a small nod and look at the cup of tea in my hands. _It's not a vacation. Shining's only trying to keep our secret safe for a bit longer._

It's been four days since the night the white wolf broke in. And so far those days have been surprisingly normal for us. We talked as if nothing had been going on at all, and we each went to our jobs like we usually do. Besides, that Natsuki seemed perfectly fine in every way, shape, and form. I knew enough about werewolves to know they turn the night after they're bitten, yet Natsuki never turned, and the others haven't said a word about it either.

Taking a sip from the cup, I close my eyes for a blissful moment before opening them again and looking out the window. _There's a full moon tomorrow night. It's been about a month since the first werewolf attack._ Thoughts of wolves attacking people on full moons flash through my head, but I force them to the back of my mind. _Full moons don't affect them like that._ Making a mental note to write it down later, I look up at the members of QUARTET NIGHT.

"Well, have fun on your vacation." I smile to them, but Reiji is the only one who smiles back.

"We'll tell you about it when we get back!" He beams, practically blinding us.

"Why bother?" Camus walks into the room, hair flowing and shoes clicking on cool tile. "It's just a short vacation. I highly doubt anything will happen on it."

"Don't be like that Camus! You never know what will happen! We might have an adventure of our own!" Reiji smiles widely yet again and Camus looks on in annoyance.

The cold earl glares back, "Don't be foolish."

Ranmaru coughs and catches the attention of the two. "And while we're on the subject of this vacation, why don't we start by getting there first? We need to leave now or we'll miss our ride."

"Ok! We'll see you all in a few days!" They wave their goodbyes and, grabbing their bags, walk out under the arch of the hall entrance.

"Sweet!" Syo stretches out his arms. "A few days without our seniors or teachers; it'll be nice to relax without having to remotely keep to Ai's ridiculous schedule."

"True, but our vacations don't really start until tomorrow." Ren turns to us. "Masato and I have a photo shoot to attend along with an interview. And I'm sure you all have some jobs to do as well."

"Yea, a few interviews is all." Otoya sets down his cup of tea and moves to leave. "I'll see you all later today!" He waves and quickly leaves the room.

"What about you Haruka?" Natsuki asks. "What do you have to do today?"

"I have a meeting to get to in about an hour. I'm sorry but I probably won't get back till late in the afternoon." I smile sheepishly. I never really liked getting home late but it's an important meeting, and I have to stay the whole time.

Natsuki nods. "Then I suppose you'll be leaving soon, right? Well, good luck with your meeting!"

"Alright!"

* * *

"Good work today, Miss Nanami! I'll call you a cab and get you a ride home. Remember, our next meeting isn't for another week, so you have all that time to yourself!" The tall man in a gray suit shakes my hand and smiles. Afterwards, he pulls out a cellphone and immediately dials the number of a cab service.

Sighing in relief, I take a seat on the couch nearby and pull out my phone and text the first contact I see, Cecil. _I'll be home within the hour._

Not a minute passes by before I hear a familiar ring and see Cecil's reply. _Okay! We already started making dinner. Be careful coming home!_ A small smile spreads across my face.

"Ah, Miss Nanami; your cab is outside waiting, already paid and everything!"

Cocking my head to the side, I reply, "W-what? Oh no, you didn't have to do that!" I frantically wave my hands at him, but he just chuckles.

"Don't worry about it. It's not a far drive and consider it a gift for attending this meeting! You were a lot of help today."

"O-okay. Thank you!" Hurriedly, I grab my bag and briskly walk out to the cab waiting at the curb. Sliding into the car, I start to give the directions, but he stops me and tells me he was already told where to go. Nodding to him, I enjoy the quiet ride home.

Relaxing in the back seat, I glance to the sun setting, the smooth ride sending my mind into a forward motion. I frown at my thoughts. _Will she come back again? It's already been a few days since her last visit, and she stops by quite frequently. In my dream, another wolf was coming towards us, but I haven't had that dream recently and no one has been bitten._ The thought of those wolves abandoning me briefly crosses my mind, but I _know_ they wouldn't leave me. _They won't leave me, right?_

"We're here. The bill's been paid too." The driver turns to me and smiles softly. "You have a nice night." Nodding in return, I hop out of the car, grab my bag, and thank the driver.

Quickly, I walk up the steps of the building and enter through the huge wooden doors, securely closing the door once I make it through. A quick trip up to my room, and I'm once again down stairs and heading to the dining room, work clothes replaced by more casual at home clothes.

"I'm sorry I'm late everyone." I say as I walk through the huge double doors of the dining room. Cecil and Natsuki were setting the wide range of food across the table and smile when I walk in.

"It's nothing to worry about! We've just about laid most everything out. Why don't you take a seat?" Natsuki asks.

I nod and sit down, while the rest of the guys bring in the last of the food. "Wow, it all looks amazing!"

"Naturally," Ren smirks. "We used the best ingredients we had." They grab their seats and no one waste time in grabbing their food. The range of seafood, fruit, and meat smelled wonderfully and the first bite of some seafood was almost to die for!

"Amazing! You all put so much work into these dishes!" I compliment them. A few of them blush at the compliment while others just chuckle.

"Of course, it's the first night without any of our seniors; the food should be this incredible. After all, it's a celebration." Otoya smiles and takes another bite of his shrimp.

"How was everyone's day today, anything exciting?" Syo asks as he take a sip of his water.

"The meeting went well, and they gave me the next week off because it was such a success."

"Good to know!" Otoya chuckles. "Looks like we'll all be able to take a break together."

"We should try to do something fun together!" Natsuki giggles. "There's an amusement park not too far from here. We could spend a day there!"

"Sounds like a plan." Ren smirks at me. "Perhaps you and I can take a journey down the tunnel of love, Lady?" He winks at me.

Masato smacks Ren's shoulder playfully. "Not if I can help it." We all chuckle at the display. _Strange, I thought being werewolves made them more aggressive, and Masato hardly ever acts this way._

Cecil notices my face lost in thought before saying, "It's good to see you two getting along so well lately. You two have always seemed to be not as close as others are with their roommates." _They play a lot in my dreams, so have they gotten friendlier in real life as well?_

Otoya comments, "Hm? I suppose we all have, if you really think about it." He seemed puzzled by the question, or more so by the fact that Cecil was so forward.

"I suppose changing into a wolf each night can do that." Ren replies. "It's hard to believe it's already been a month since the first time I was bitten."

"It feels like it's been much longer than that." Masato added, a tone of annoyance to his voice. He shares a look with Ren, one that I couldn't read, and looks down. "It makes me wonder how long we'll be like this…"

"Hey hey Masa," Otoya grins at him. "I'm sure it won't be permanent. Yes, I'm almost positive we'll find a happy end to this."

"Being optimistic seems like the better way to go here." Natsuki assured him. "If you don't worry so much over it, then you'll find a way out of this." He smiles a childlike smile.

Though Masato didn't seem entirely assured, he gives him a curt nod, taking a bite of the fruit on his plate. A somewhat comfortable silence falls over us, and we continue to eat in bliss. I glance at Tokiya, who hasn't said much of anything during the meal, but when I looked at him, he seemed to have a peculiar expression on his face. He kept his eyes on Masato and the others, brow furrowed in concentration.

"So I assume your photo shoots went well?" Tokiya ask, tilting his head ever so slightly.

"With looks like mine, of course it went well." Ren responds, eyes closed and taking a sip of his water.

"Uh huh… If I may make a comment, just something I've noticed just now, but I feel that it should be brought to your attentions." He kept his eyes glued on them and didn't lift his gaze.

"Yea, sure! I want to hear it!" Otoya leans forward slightly, while Masato and Ren shrug.

Tokiya doesn't speak for a moment, half of us leaning forward to hear what he has to say. "Your canine teeth are longer now. Or at least they aren't the usual length canine teeth are."

What followed was series of coughing sounds and the sputtering of words and water. We all flinch at their sudden outburst and dodge the spray of food and water.

Otoya finally manages to stop coughing, "What? No, that's not possible! Right guys?" He forces a smile at the others, who were running their tongue along their teeth. Though they both tried to play it off as calm, they seemed worried about it.

I force a smile and tell them, "Well… I'm sure it's nothing to worry about! R-really, it's probably normal with werewolves' right?" Flashing me skeptical looks, they quickly force a small smile to everyone. _They don't want the others to worry._

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you all in the first place." Tokiya looks down at his food, guilt written across his face.

Masato sighs, "No, Tokiya, it's fine really." Masato looks off lost in thought. Ren had his eyes closed and seemed calm for the most part. Otoya shuffles uncomfortably in his seat for a moment before standing up.

"Well, I couldn't eat another bite. I'll just put my dish in the sink and go for a walk around the grounds." He grabs his plate, which still had plenty of food left on it, and quickly left the room through the kitchen doors. A long pause carries out through the room, whether it was because they just felt like it wasn't a good idea to say anything or because they couldn't think of what to say, the guys didn't make a sound.

"I truly am sorry." All eyes turn to the Tokiya, who after several minutes has finally said something. "I never should have brought it up in the first place."

"To be honest, we're just as surprised as you." Ren points out. "I'm not sure why Otoya would suddenly react like this when he should have noticed before."

"Before?" Syo asks.

Ren and Masato nod their heads. Ren continues, "When I was first bitten, I noticed that my teeth were sharper than before, but as the moon continued waning they became normal again. With the full moon coming up soon, I'm positive Otoya would've noticed by now."

I listen carefully to his words, absorbing them into my mind, but the answer was obvious to me, even without the explanation. _Is… Is Otoya trying to deny that he's a werewolf?_

* * *

"Are you sure you guys don't need any help? I don't have to go to sleep just yet." I stifle a yawn, but it escapes past my lips anyway.

"From that yawn of yours, I think you do need to go to bed. We can handle the rest of the mess." Tokiya replies as he sets down more dirty dishes in the sink.

"Sleep is important too, Haruka!" Natsuki adds. "Really, we can take care of it. You took care of them before, so it's only right we take care of them now."

"Well, alright then. Good night everyone!" A chorus of goodnights follows as I make my way to my bedroom. The halls seemed a bit colder than usual, despite it being early summer, or perhaps it was just me. Making it safely to my room, I change into a pair of shorts and a loose shirt, then going through my usual nightly routine. Quickly, I brush my teeth, hair and thoroughly wash my face. Making my way towards my bed, I move back the covers and lay down on the cool cotton surface. The faint scent of my perfume wafts into my nose and I smile at the comfort of it.

Despite the comforting smell and blankets, I couldn't help but frown. _It's been a little while since I've had a dream or nightmare. I wouldn't mind seeing those wolves every night, but if they're in my dreams, doesn't that mean another person will be made a wolf as well?_ Shaking my heads of the thoughts, it's not long after that, I feel myself slip into a world of blissful sleep.

* * *

Snapping open my eyes I jolt up in bed. My heart pounds frantically in my ears as I wipe the sweat from my brow. My breath comes out ragged and quick. Placing my hand over my chest, I take a series of deep breaths until I calm down. I look over to the clock to see it say 11:38 PM. _It's only been a few hours, huh?_ I furrow my brow and try to focus on the dream. _I think… I was injured? Or maybe someone else was injured? There was… blood. I remember I was practically drowning in it._ I grind my teeth and force myself to remember more, but the last bits of the dream slip away from me. Sighing in defeat, I push back the remaining memories of the dream, shifting in bed to find a more comfortable position.

A loud thud sounds throughout my room as I look up and gaze around for the source. But I find that the only sound in the room being my own breathing. _Someone's still awake at this hour?_ After a few moments of silence, I move to go back to sleep but the thud echoes in my room again, and then again, but as a series of thuds. A muffled scream flows into my ears and I feel my heart pick up its pace again.

Without a second thought, I throw the covers aside and run outside my room, not even bothering to close the door behind me or even throw on a pair of shoes. My bare feet pound against the floor at the same pace my heart pounds against my ribcage. I slip as I make a turn around a corner but thankfully catch myself on the stairs railing before I can hit the floor. Slowing down, I look carefully around the dark hallway, pausing to listen for the sounds from before.

The same thud from before resonates behind… Syo and Natsuki's room? Stepping closer to their door, the thuds continue and another muffled scream comes from inside. I place my hand on the door knob and turn it slowly, out of fear of what could lie behind it. My heart pounds faster and faster, as I open the door a crack. My blood turns to ice in my veins, the sweat from before has become as cold as snow as it sits on my neck and forehead. My eyes go wide and I could've sworn my heart stopped right in my chest. The need to scream rose up in me, but despite the need to cry out I couldn't find my voice.

A huge wolf was hunched over Syo's body, its teeth embedded deep into Syo's left shoulder causing blood to drip onto the floor. Syo's face was twisted into unimaginable look of pain, eyes closed and teeth clenched tightly as more blood oozes out of his body. It's been spread all over the once white wooden floors, giving it the appearance of a lake, the moonlight showing so clearly in the dark red liquid. The wolf growls menacingly, the blood in its mouth causing it to come out gurgled as if it was drowning. It brings its jaws down harder on Syo's shoulder and Syo cries out. He kicks his legs and scratches his nails against the floorboards. The wolf starts to shake its head from side to side. Syo gives a pained scream and begins kicking again.

The blood was staining everything; the wolf's muzzle, Syo's clothes and body, the white floors, even specks of blood were on the couch and bed sheets. Syo's thrashing body only continued to spread the blood on the floor, also spreading the sharp metallic scent around the room. I feel the bile start to rise up in my throat as the wolf continues chewing on the soft flesh and even starts to slam its victim's head against the floor. Syo keeps writhing on the floor trying to break free of the hold on him, but with every passing second his protest grow weaker and slower.

Swallowing my fear, I take a hesitant step into the room, eyes glued on the wolf and Syo. The floorboards creak loudly under my feet. The wolf drops his prey as it whips its head towards me. Syo rolls onto his side, clutching his shoulder in pain and grinding his teeth together. The wolf stares for only a moment before its starts growling at me, blood dripped slowly from its glistening fangs. I stare it in the eyes to find a crazed look filled with hate, pupils dilated into thin slits surrounded by a bright glowing iris. The wolf gives a repulsive snarl and slinks closer to me. I notice the huge amounts of blood on its muzzle and chest and even its paws as it drips onto the floor with every step the wolf takes. It crouches close to the ground, bunching the muscles in its legs and preparing to spring.

Syo finally opens his eyes a crack and opens them even wider when he see's that I'm here. It takes him only a moment for the realization to appear in his eyes. I give a desperate look in his direction and try to force out something to say but fail. He glances at the wolf and then at me. Before I have time to fully comprehend the look he gave me, his foot shoots out and knocks the wolf off its paws. It falls with a thud on the ground only to be up a second later and once again growling at Syo. The wolf lunges forward and latches onto Syo's shoulder once again, fangs sinking into the same spot they had occupied before. Syo doesn't try to dodge the razor sharp fangs but instead waits for the wolf to latch onto his shoulder. Syo shouts in pain for only a second before he suddenly wraps his arms around the wolf's neck, effectively holding him in place. The wolf tries to break free of his grasp but Syo keeps a firm hold on it, even grasping onto the fur around the creature's neck.

Syo cries out, "Get it!" _Huh? It? What does he-_ "Those, there!" His eyes dart to something lying under the bed. I follow his eyesight, but whatever he wanted me to get was under the bed. He gurgles, "H-haruka... Hurry!"

I gather the small bits of courage I have and make a dive for whatever's under the bed. I stretch out my arm into the darkness and my fingers brush something thin and smooth. Wrapping my fingers around it, I pull out… _Glasses?_ I quickly flip them over in my hands. _Why glasses? Why not a weapon?_ A feeling similar to being hit by a train fills my being. My breath gets caught in my throat and my heart seems to stop. I whip my head around to the wolf and finally get a good look at it; creamy blonde colored fur with long locks of blonde on its head and a white stomach tainted red with blood.

"N… Natsuki?" The wolf ignores me and continues digging into Syo's shoulder. Its claws scrape against any service near it; the floor, Syo's stomach, and his chest. I feel a wave of tears come up to my eyes and fall to the floor in huge drops.

"Haruka! Put them on him!" Syo snaps me from my daze. Nodding hesitantly to him, I stand and slowly walk towards the wolf, each step feeling heavier than the last. The wolf senses my presence behind him, but because of the hold Syo has on him, he chose to continue digging his teeth into the soft flesh of the singer. Once I'm within arm's length of him, I quickly push the glasses onto his face, making sure they're secured there appropriately.

The instance the glasses slip on, Natsuki stops growling and his face relaxes. He takes a moment to see the situation in front of him and immediately let's go of Syo's shoulder, Syo making a soft thud as he hits the floor. He passes out as I bend down by his side, ignoring the pools of blood my knees are in. The sharp metallic scent wafts into my nose again and I force back the urge to throw up. Natsuki backs into the wall knocking stuff from the shelf onto the wooden boards. He jumps to the far corner of the room, tail in between his legs and crouching close to the ground. His whimpers echo in the room alongside Syo's ragged breathing. Natsuki looked on with wide open eyes and kept himself glued to the spot in the corner.

Leaning down close to Syo's body, I place my ear just an inch above his mouth. I sigh in relief when I hear him still breathing but gasp when I hear how slow and labored it is. _What do I do?! What can I do?!_

I look around slowly before whipping my head toward Natsuki. Tears stream down my face as I shout, "Please, Natsuki! Howl for the others!" Natsuki continues to whimper and backs even further into the corner. "Natsuki, please! Syo needs help! Please, howl for the others!" Natsuki looks over at the window to their room and slowly crawls over to it. Shakily, I run to their bathroom and grab a towel off the rack as a howl resonates in the room. _D note._ I shake my head of the thought and run back to Syo. Pressing the towel onto his shoulder, Syo stirs in his sleep and his face contorts into a look of discomfort.

The second Natsuki finishes howling, he crawls back to his corner and stays there, unmoving. "Stay with me Syo. It's okay, you'll be fine. I know you will." I continue pressing the towel into his shoulder, the bleeding seemingly slowing down. "You'll be okay. You'll be okay." But those words don't stop the tears from flowing from my eyes, falling into the pools of blood below.

* * *

**I heavily encourage reviews at the end of this chapter.**


	13. Chapter 13

Keeping pressure on his wound, I wipe away some of the blood before laying my head down on his chest and listening to his heartbeat. His heart, though slow, kept me from screaming or crying more than I needed to. The soft thumping in my ear kept me strangely calm during the situation. Worry took hold of me as I start panicking, but there was no way to help him untill the others arrived.

So, I waited. I waited and waited and waited. His heartbeat didn't slow down anymore than it already did, thankfully. I kept waiting for the others while I listened to Syo's heart and Natsuki's whimpers. Glancing over at Natsuki's, I notice he still hasn't moved, and in fact seemed to press himself further into the corner. After a few minutes, a soft thud vibrates through the floor and look up to see Masato, Ren, and Otoya, standing in the doorway with the most shocked expression.

Masato turns to Otoya and orders him, "Go find a first aid kit. Now." He runs out of the room in a flash while Masato and Ren kneel next to Syo. Ren replaces my hands as he presses down onto towel. Syo is no longer cringing in pain but instead just seems to be uncomfortable. Masato places a hand on my shoulder, "You did good keeping pressure on his wound like that." I nod in response and wipe away some of the tears, careful to not spread any blood on my face.

"Got it!" Otoya runs in and places the first aid kit on the ground.

"Good." Masato says as he takes the first aid kit and starts shifting through it. "Go to the bathroom and get fresh towels, wet and dry. Also, a small bowl or container filled with water."

Otoya nods and leaves only to return seconds later with what Masato asked for. "These enough?"

"Thank you. Lay the dry ones on the ground there and we'll move him, so at least the blood won't spread on the floor any more than it needs to." I watch in silence as they lift Syo to another spot on the floor. Masato takes a wet rag and starts cleaning up the blood on Syo's shoulder. When the rag was dripping with the excess blood, he wrings it out and places it in the bowl. He leans forward to get a closer look at Syo's shoulder running his fingers along the edges of his punctured skin. Turning to Ren, he says, "I need you to go find a lighter or some matches. He needs a few stitches and we need a way to sterilize the needle." Nodding, Ren runs out of the room while Masato digs into the first aid kit pulling out a needle and surgical string. "Otoya, go to the bathroom and try to find some rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide."

As Ren returns with a lighter and Otoya brings back some rubbing alcohol, Masato takes the bottle and pours a generous amount on Syo's shoulder. He seems to flinch in his unconscious state but doesn't wake up otherwise. Masato runs the flame of the lighter along the needle for a moment before pouring the alcohol on it and the thread. He carefully leans over the wound and starts poking and pulling the needle through Syo's skin.

Looking down at the floor, I notice that the blood is still coating my knees and legs. A sharp metallic smell wafts into my nose as I feel the need to throw up at it but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to do so anymore. Instead I decided to cry. I cry for Syo and Natsuki, but I also cry for Otoya and the others. _They're gonna have to deal with stuff like this won't they?_

"You should clean up a bit." Looking up, I see Otoya with a solemn expression, a bloody rag held in his hand. He continues, "It might be a good idea to start cleaning up all this blood. Wouldn't want those guys to see their room like this, would we?"

Wiping away the tears, I shakily stand on my feet. Grabbing a few more towels from the bathroom, I start cleaning up the dried blood on the floor and my knees. I find some hydrogen peroxide in the bathroom and use it to clean up some of the tougher stains while Otoya did the same. Occasionally I would glance up at Natsuki to check and see if he was doing okay, but he was still frozen in the same position as before though he stopped whimpering when the others walked in. A quick glance in the others direction tell me they haven't noticed Natsuki, and were too focused on Syo to bother paying attention. After just a few minutes of wiping up the red liquid, the floor was cleaned exceptionally well, and the bloody rags were now sitting in the bathtub, soaking in a bath of cold water and hydrogen peroxide.

Masato suddenly announces, "There, all done." I rush to their side to see Syo, breathing more easily, but still unconscious.

I whisper, "He'll be okay right?"

Ren speaks up, "He should be. He'll heal quickly, but it'll take a week or two for it to mend correctly, and a few weeks after that for the scars to disappear. But other than that, I think he'll make a swift recovery."

"And the blood he's lost?" I ask.

Ren shrugs. "Well, he's a werewolf now right? I don't know for sure how we heal if we've lost a lot of blood, so the most we can do is hope that our healing factor will help with that."

I sigh in relief and turn to Masato. "Thank you. Where did you learn to do that?"

"Just some simple first aid I learned a year or so ago." I smile at the response. The bedroom fills with an awkward silence as Ren lifts Syo up enough to wrap bandages around his shoulder and torso. He cleans up the last of the blood before carefully picking up the smaller male and laying him down on his bed. Otoya moves to clean up the rest of the bloody towels before taking them into the bathroom.

"The towels are soaking in cold water and hydrogen peroxide right now. They'll have to be cleaned tomorrow." He pauses and frowns. "But… I think the better topic right now would be how this happened…" Otoya glares at the spot once occupied by Syo's unconscious body, fist clenched tightly.

"So Lady," Ren takes a step closer to me, leaning forward to meet my eye level. "How _did_ this happen?" I meet his gaze only to flinch under the intense glare, one filled with fury. I warily look between all three of them, unsure if I should really tell them what happened. "Hm?" _Oh no…_ Ren looks up to the corner and sees Natsuki's huddled form there. They seem surprised that he's here, but otherwise don't really seem to know who it is cowering in the corner. Ren closes his eyes and takes a sniff of the room. He crinkles his nose, from the blood most likely, and takes a few more sniffs. His eyes snap open. "Natsuki?"

The others eyes go wide for a second before they suddenly look at Syo's unconscious form. They stare for just a moment before turning their heads back at Natsuki, faces twisted into unimaginable anger. Otoya lowers his head and raises shoulders slightly, as if he was about to pounce, while Masato raised his lips in a silent snarl. They all take on offensive step forward and frantically wave my hands in front of them.

"No! You don't understand!" I tell them.

"Then start explaining." A low growl rises from Ren's throat, not just towards Natsuki, but at me as well.

"You see…" My hesitation causes all of them to start growling collectively. I blurt out, "He didn't have his glasses on at the time!" They stop growling but the murderous looks still remain on their faces. Looks of confusion met my own panicked one as I elaborate, "When I came in here, Natsuki was attacking Syo, but when Syo pointed to Natsuki's glasses under the bed, I learned that it was Satsuki attacking him." I glance over my shoulder at Natsuki's huddled form. He starts whimpering again though this time it sounded more like a whimpering plea than one out of fear. _Is he pleading for them to understand?_

They stop growling at us, and they relax considerably. Though they don't seem eager to rush forward and meet him, they do give him a long sorrowful look. Simultaneously, they look away from Natsuki, instead looking around the room or over at the unconscious body on the bed.

Otoya shakes his head and fold his arms. "I can't make sense of any of it. Why would Satsuki blindly attack Syo like that? I know Satsuki can be a violent person, but I don't think he would attack someone out of cold blood."

"Is it not obvious?" Ren replies as he looks back at Otoya. "You know as well as I, that our willpower over our wolves has grown weaker these past couple of nights."

"I know that, but what would that have to do with Satsuki?"

Ren sighs as he shoves his hands into his pocket. "I was thinking about it, and I think it may have something to do with the full moon, seeing as how it gets closer and closer."

"True," Masato takes a step forward. "But Natsuki seems perfectly in control of his wolf right now. Why would Satsuki lack that control?"

My brow furrows at each word they say. "Maybe…" They look up at me. "Maybe it's because Natsuki has something Satsuki doesn't. They may share a body, but they have two separate personalities. It may be possible that because of this he lost control over his wolf." They don't say anything but nod slightly in response.

"But," Otoya looks up with a serious expression. "I never saw him bleeding when he was attacked. And he said himself that he wasn't bitten."

"Satsuki said that." I comment. "He must have thought that telling us would only bring trouble for Natsuki and that he could control the wolf enough that Natsuki wouldn't notice." Natsuki whimpers at the mention of Satsuki's name and tilts his head to the side. _He doesn't really know about Satsuki does he? He's told me it felt like someone's been protecting him, but he still doesn't know for sure._ For a moment, I try to think of the situation from Natsuki's point of view, and cringe when I realize what he's going through. In reality, he just woke up as a wolf with his friends flesh in his mouth, no warning or anything. _He woke up to his half dead friend under him..._

A groan comes from Syo's bed and we immediately rush to his side, all except Natsuki. As I lean down closer to him, he slowly opens his eyes and blinks at us. He looks down and raises a hand to his shoulder, flinching as his fingers brush against the stitches. Tilting his head to the side, he notices Natsuki cowering in the corner. With a groan, he raises a hand to his head. "You guys know it wasn't _really_ Natsuki, right?" We nod. "And I guess I'm gonna be a werewolf now, huh?" We nod again. Closing his eyes, he holds his hand over them. "Shit…"

Masato speaks up, "Your wounds will heal quickly."

Syo chuckles lightly at the statement and mutters, "Great…" not even bothering to try and cover up the sarcasm. No one says anything for the longest time and we simply watch as Syo keeps his eyes closed. I start to think he had fallen asleep again, but he instead moves his hand out over the edge of the bed. "Hey… Natsuki… Come here." Natsuki flinches when he hears Syo mention his name, and doesn't move to him at all. "Natsuki… Come here. Please..." Slowly and unsurely, Natsuki crawls over to Syo's bedside as we move away just as slow as him.

By the time Natsuki was directly next to his bed, he was whimpering again and was pressing himself to the floor as close as he could get. He doesn't raise his head up immediately, but instead looks towards the floor whimpering. Without hesitation, Syo places his hand on Natsuki's muzzle, ignoring the dried blood around the wolf's lips. Natsuki raises his head slightly under the touch, but remains hesitant to look directly at the other blonde. Gulping audibly, Syo runs his hands over Natsuki's fur in soothing pets, encouraging him to raise his head up even higher.

He gazes at Natsuki and musters his best smile and whispers, "It's not your fault." Natsuki's ears perk up at the words and he fully raises his gaze to meet Syo's. "It's not your fault." The wolf whimpers as he lays his head down on the edge of the bed. Syo continues petting him and smiling, while Natsuki whimpers and stares at his friend with a broken expression.

Otoya nudges my shoulder and I turn to him, nodding silently. We leave the room quickly, remaining silent in the crestfallen atmosphere, but I stop for a moment longer to see the person consoling the wolf who held his life in his jaws.

"It's not your fault..."

* * *

**Originally, this was part of chapter 12, but I had to cut it down a bit because it was too long. It actually showed up a lot longer on google docs, but was shortened when pasted into Word.**

**As a side note, I've received a few messages asking about why they have their human hair in their wolf forms, and the answer to that is that the original concept art drew reference from the movie Wolf Children.**

**Please, leave a review, favorite, or follow the story! Your support helps me continue!**


	14. Chapter 14

"So that's the situation now, huh?" The morning sunshine seeps in through the window, bouncing off the polished floors, as Tokiya closes his eyes and shakes his head at the news. Though Cecil _seems_ calm about it, something told me he was grieving heavily. He kept his eyes glued on the floor with a sad expression written across his face. When he heard that Syo was injured and recovering, he showed a look of worry, but when we said it was Satsuki that attacked him, he showed complete desolation. As of now, there are five werewolves in STARISH, while only two are human. With those odds, it makes it seem as if Cecil and Tokiya are the outcast now.

I look over to my left. Ren was standing off to the side, facing the window but keeping his eyes closed. Masato and Otoya, both in their usual loose clothing, sat on the couch, both glowering at the floors, while Cecil and Tokiya sat across from them on the opposite couch.

"Where are Syo and Natsuki right now?" Cecil asks, breaking the heavy silence.

"They're in their room." Otoya glances down the hall before returning his attention back to Cecil and Tokiya. "Even though it's almost noon, I haven't heard a single thing from them." He sighs and rubs his head.

"I'm not surprised." Ren looks over his shoulder at us. "After what happened last night, I think it's safe to assume that they need time to talk this over between each other, or at least let Syo recover and rest."

Though the rest of us nod our heads, Masato speaks up. "While I think that's true, we also need to find out the information behind it all. It might be a good idea for us to go talk to them at some point."

I point out to them. "They haven't eaten yet today. We could bring them something before we go talk to them."

"You don't think they'll mind us intruding?" Otoya ask.

I shake my head. "They might enjoy the company. They're our friends too, so we should try to be there for them."

Otoya grins and nods to me. "We should go make something for them then! Ren, Masa, could you guys help me with lunch?" Hesitantly, they nod and follow him towards the kitchen. I get up to follow them, but notice that Tokiya and Cecil aren't moving from their spots on the couch.

Turning around, I take a few steps closer to them. "Oh, are you guys coming?" They don't respond at first, and I tilt my head to the side. They shake their heads and stare down at the floor. "Eh? But, why not?"

Tokiya looks up. "It seems like this is more of a werewolf problem than a problem _we_ can handle."

"What?" _It's not just a werewolf problem, Syo is injured!_ "But don't you guys want to be there with Syo and Natsuki?"

"Don't get us wrong, Haruka." Cecil looks up as well. "We do want to be there with Syo and Natsuki, but it just kind of feels like we'd be… out of place there."

"Given the fact that more than half the members of STARISH are now werewolves, it seems like we're the ones who are out of the ordinary." Tokiya scoffs. "We might as well get bitten ourselves."

"Don't say that!" I step closer to them. "Ren, Masato, and Otoya are doing their best to keep you all from becoming werewolves! They don't want you all to go through what they have to suffer through!"

"Suffer?" Tokiya raises a brow. "They seem like they're closer than ever." He sighs. "I was thinking about this the other day. They think of us as pack, all of us. But what's a pack with five wolves and two humans?"

"I'm sure it's not like that! They care about you all enough to keep you from going through what they are. They're just trying to protect you all." Subconsciously, I hold my hands close to my heart.

A few moments of silence go by while Cecil and Tokiya shoot glances at each other. Abruptly, they stand up and move to leave down the hall. Cecil turns to me, a sad look in his eyes. "No one wants to suffer as much as them, we understand that. They care about us and they don't want us to go through their problems with them, but don't you think they might be happier if we were actually members of their pack, as werewolves?" They quickly walk out, leaving me standing alone in the great big room. Sighing, I turn around and make my way to the kitchen. _Happier? As werewolves?_

* * *

Our knocks echo in the great big halls, almost sounding out of place in the quiet building. I hold the tray in front of me; two sandwiches were neatly cut lying on simple plates and were next to two glasses of water.

Syo's voice comes through the door, "Come in." Ignoring the tiredness in his voice, I walk in to their room. Ren, Masato, and Otoya walking close behind.

"We brought you lunch." I force a smile to him. Syo was lying in his bed; the bandages around his shoulder had blood soaking through them. Strangely enough, Natsuki was still in his wolf form and lying on the ground, near the foot of Syo's bed. His head was lying on his front paws and he whimpered slightly when we walked in. Though it looks like most of the blood was washed out of his fur, it still had a tint of red to it. I glance over at the coffee table and notice the first aid kit sitting there, specks of blood coated the corners and handle. Shuddering, I do my best to ignore it and place the tray on the table near the bed.

Masato moves to the first aid kit on the coffee table and opens it quickly as some of the bloods chips off onto the table. Masato pulls out the rest of the bandage wraps and goes to the bathroom, returning with a wet wash cloth. He walks up to Syo and tells him, "I need to change the bandages and check to see if you're healing correctly." Natsuki raises his head before getting up and slowly slinking over to lie down on the couch.

Syo slowly sits up, wincing and touching his shoulder. Masato sits on the bed next to him, grabbing the bloody bandages and removing them. He cleans around the stitches and dabs up the few specks of blood on him. Running his hands over the stitches, Syo flinches under his touch. "See, it's already healing remarkably well. It should be a lot better in a few days." He places the dirty bandages on the table next to the bed and rewraps the new ones. Syo winces with every movement and sighs in relief when Masato finally stops.

"Thanks." Syo whispers to him. He shifts in bed and leans against the headboard, careful to avoid his injuries. I hand him a plate with a sandwich on it which he gratefully accepts, forcing a smile at me. He cast a quick glance at Natsuki before taking a small bite of his food. After a few bites, he turns to us with a serious look. "You're here to talk to us, right?" We nod our heads.

Ren takes a step closer to the bed. "We need to know what happened last night. It could be useful information in the future." We smile reassuringly at him, though Syo seems unsure of it. He fidgeted uncomfortably under the blanket, placing his sandwich on the plate and putting it down on the table.

"I don't think there's much to tell. Satsuki was bitten; he became a werewolf, and then attacked me. That's it."

"The whole story; from start to finish." Ren demanded.

Syo sighs and, casting a quick glance in Natsuki's direction, starts, "Last night, hours after we went to sleep, I woke up to a sound in our room. I remember Natsuki saying he didn't feel well before bed; I thought a good night's sleep would make him feel better. I woke up an hour or two later and open my eyes to see Natsuki hunched over on the floor, groaning in pain. I asked him what was wrong and he looks back at me like he didn't even know me." He pauses. "…It was a few seconds later, he was a full wolf and snarling at me. And I figured out what was happening; Natsuki was now a werewolf, but Satsuki was in control. I figured that putting his glasses back on would bring him back. When I reached for them he started growling even more and started walking closer. If I tried to run and escape, he would attack me, and if I stayed there in bed, he would still attack me. I grabbed his glasses as quickly as I could and barely dodged him… At first, I kind of just moved around him while waiting for an opening, but he never gave me the chance, so I tried going on the offensive side. I ran to him but he knocked me down before I had the chance. The glasses were knocked under the bed and he bit down on my shoulder." Syo raises a hand to lightly touch his shoulder, wincing when his fingers brush it. "And about a minute or so later, Haruka came in."

I continue where Syo leaves off, "Before you all came there, Satsuki was attacking Syo but stopped when I walked into the room. He would've attacked me if Syo hadn't fought back and kept him from coming after me. I got his glasses out from under the bed and slipped them on. And… Well, you know the rest." My hands shake at the memory of the scene; all the blood, the pained screams of Syo and the murderous intent in Satsuki's eyes.

The blonde idol turns to the others and asks, "Hey, this might seem out of the blue, but how long do you guys usually stay as wolves?"

Otoya tilts his head to the side and responded, "Well, we usually change back while we're sleeping I guess."

Masato nods and continues, "We spend the night as them until we go to sleep, and when we wake up we're human. Why do you ask?"

Syo looks down sorrowfully. "Well… It's just that, Natsuki has been a wolf the whole time I've been awake. He hasn't changed back to human yet, even though it's noon now. I was wondering why he hasn't turned back."

They seem to ponder it carefully, before Ren tells him, "I think the best guess is that he simply doesn't want to talk about it."

Syo glares down at his blanket. "I want to talk to him about it. I've asked him to change back but he refuses."

We all look in Natsuki's direction, the couch blocked a clear view of him, but we knew he was still lying on the couch ignoring us. Otoya walks over to him and leans closer. He forces a smile and asks, "Natsuki, don't you think that maybe it's time to turn to your human form?" Natsuki lifts his head to meet his gaze before putting his head on his paws again. "Come on, please?" He doesn't move. Otoya looks back at us for some ideas but was met with several shrugs.

"Natsuki," Syo moves to get out of bed but stops and grips his shoulder, teeth grinding together. He glares at Natsuki and growls "Change back. We _need_ to talk about this." The wolf raises his head, but otherwise doesn't move from his spot. Syo gives a 'hmph' before moving back to his original sitting position.

Otoya sighs and walks back over to us. "If Natsuki doesn't want to change back then there's not much we can do." Rubbing the back of his neck, he casts a sorrowful glance in Natsuki's direction.

Glancing at the others, I notice Masato place a hand on his chin and furrow his brow in concentration, obviously thinking of something to help. Following his lead, I try to think of a way to get Natsuki to talk. I hum softly before an idea pops into my head. _But it's too cruel to mention it to Natsuki._ A quick glance in Masato's direction tells me he's thinking the same thing as me, but is also reluctant to say it. He shares a look with Ren and Otoya. Both of them seem to realize what he's implying but are also reluctant to say it. But it seemed we all had the same thought; would bringing up the attack cause him to change back and defend himself? Another quick glance at Syo tells me he's realized what the others are thinking as well. _Syo, please don't!_

"Natsuki," Syo forces a glare at the other, who chooses to ignore him. He clears his throat and starts again. "Natsuki... Why are you afraid to talk to me about this?" Natsuki's ears twitch at the words, but he only lifts his head to glance at us. "What do you have to be so afraid of? I told you at least a hundred times that it wasn't your fault, but here you are blaming yourself for this whole incident." The werewolf turns to look at us. He wore an unreadable expression, even for a wolf. Glaring at the ground for a moment, Natsuki shifts to hide further away from our views. "Why do you have to hide away from the more important matter at hand? Why are you trying to avoid me and everyone else so much?" Syo sighs before continuing. "I don't get why you're being so reluctant to-"

"I didn't ask for this." Natsuki's human form slowly rises up on the couch, bare shoulders and back turned to us. His hair was an unruly mess and it masked his face.

Though he appeared astonished at the words, Syo quickly recomposed himself. "Whether you asked for it or not is not the only problem here. I think we need to address the very root of this problem and-"

"It's me… Everything that happened to you was because of me." Natsuki still doesn't move to look at us, and kept his gaze on the opposite side of the room. I keep my mouth in a straight line to keep myself from talking and the others seem to follow my lead. _There's nothing we can say in this situation._

"I told you, it's not your fault."

"Yes, it was. It was all my fault. Everything that happened to you was because of me."

"I think you're-"

"You didn't see it through my eyes!" Natsuki glares back at him. His blood stained lips were raised in a snarl; the edges of his gums were still red with blood. Syo flinches at him and, realizing what he's doing, Natsuki frowns, looking away. "How would you react if you suddenly woke up to see your closest friends flesh in your mouth? How their blood stained your skin and how much damage you had done to them!" Natsuki starts to growl again, but immediately puts a stop to it. He looks down shamefully. "I don't remember anything after I took off my glasses to go to sleep. I just suddenly woke up with blood in my mouth and you under my body. I…" Natsuki closes his mouth forcefully and raises a hand to his lips. He turns to share a quick look with his roommate. Syo gestures for the other to continue, a clear look of fear written across his face. "I… remember how your blood pooled in my mouth. For the first few seconds, I thought it was disgusting, but then… I-I thought… to myself; it was kind of nice to have you there in my jaws." His face breaks out into a grin as Syo's eyes go wide and he leans farther away from Natsuki, as do the rest of us. I notice the other werewolves take an offensive stance. Natsuki growls again, tears streams down his face, pulling some of the dried blood along with them. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" He hunches over his knees and snarls harshly at the wall in front of him. Glancing back at Syo and noticing the fear in his eyes, Natsuki stops growling and looks down in sorrow. "I never asked to be a werewolf... I never asked to hurt you… I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry…" Hs words fall into hushed whispers as tears continue to roll down his face.

The usual awkward silence rolls by and we move uncomfortably in it. I can tell the others want to say something, as do I, but we all know it's a conversation between Syo and Natsuki. No one moves for the longest of time, until Syo lets out a heavy sigh and, shifting uncertainly in his bed, moves to the edge. "Natsuki, I know you feel terrible about what you've done, but you didn't do any of that to me. I know for a fact that you wouldn't."

Natsuki doesn't say anything for what seems like hours to me, but was really just a few seconds. Breaking the eerie silence, he whispers, "I was thinking about it all last night… The one who protects me, is the one that attacked you… I'm right, aren't I?" Though Syo nods his head, Natsuki doesn't bother looking back at him. "... I get it. I know I didn't, and wouldn't, do those things to you, but it doesn't change the fact that I tasted your blood. And it doesn't change what I first thought of it." The room started to fill with an awkward and suffocating tension. I look to the others but they already had the same idea.

"We should be going now, don't you guys think so?" Otoya forces a grin toward us.

Nodding my head enthusiastically, I force out, "O-Of course. We wouldn't want to be a bother!"

We move for the door in a rush, but Syo calls out before we can fully leave. "Hey," We freeze. "Anything I… We… Should know tonight?" He rubs the back of his neck and looks away.

Masato and Ren furrow their brows in concentration, before Masato informs him, "You still need time to heal, or we would take you both outside tonight."

"For tonight," Ren interrupts him. "Stay inside. And on top of that, tonight's a full moon, so don't do anything we wouldn't."

"I didn't think that full moon thing would mean anything." Syo moves back under the covers of his bed. "You must have mentioned it for a reason though."

Ren frowns at the response. "... Under the full moon, our willpower to remain human is considerably weaker."

Masato nods "Don't fight the transformation. It will only cause you more pain."

Otoya continues, "And no matter what your wolf tells you; don't listen to it." Syo's eyes widen at the facts. He shakes his head before giving a soft 'hmph' and waving his hand at us. I look to Natsuki, waiting for him to say something, but he's turned his back to the door. From the looks of it, he was sitting with his legs pulled up to his chest. _I'm sorry Natsuki. I wish I could have prevented all of this._ We take our leave, closing the door softly behind us as the 'click' echoes off the floor and walls.

Sighing in relief of escaping the tension, I turn to the others, "Now that we're out of there, I've been meaning to ask you something." They look up with curious expressions. "It's just that… Well, you're all going out tonight, right?" They nod their heads. "Well, tonight, none of our seniors or teachers will be here, so you all could stay in if you wanted to right?"

Masato answered, "Whether or not other people are here doesn't change the fact that we'll be going outside tonight."

"Eh? But I always thought that-"

"That we go out to avoid being seen?" Ren chuckles lightly. "That's only part of the reason. While that was true before, its different now."

"For one," Otoya chimes in. "Tonight's the full moon. We think everyone would be safer if we were farther away."

"Like we said," Ren interrupts him. "Our wills are weaker at night, and with the full moon so close, our wolves have been… talking a lot more." Ren rubs the back of his neck and looks away.

Masato nods in agreement. "We'd rather not take the risk of what our wolves might do." I nod silently as we start to walk down the hall. I don't say anything after that but instead choose to carefully monitor their faces as we move down the hall. Otoya looked down though his lips were raised into a small smile. Masato kept his usual straight face while Ren had a small smirk written across his. Tokiya and Cecil's words from before float into my mind, and nothing stops the words from my mouth, but I came to instantly regret it when they did.

"Are you… Are you glad that Syo and Natsuki are werewolves now?"

* * *

**Some of you might have noticed, but my weekly updates have changed to every week and a half because I'm a little behind in writing new chapters. If I find myself ahead, I'll be sure to update weekly again.**

**Anyway, please review and fvaorite if you liked the story! I look forward to hearing what you all have to say!**


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